


You'll Get Better Soon

by Queen_of_Ice_and_Hallows



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff and Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:21:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queen_of_Ice_and_Hallows/pseuds/Queen_of_Ice_and_Hallows
Summary: Elsa and Anna used to be best friends. Their mothers had been best friends since childhood and they had raised their daughters together. That is, until Elsa's mother passed away. Soon after, Elsa distanced herself from Anna with no explanation, and they went for years without speaking. Until one day when their remaining parents have some news for them. (Modern AU/No Powers)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 23





	1. Prologue - Dr. Arendelle, PhD

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen nor its characters, nor do I own any characters from other Disney works. Disney owns everything - including my heart, soul, and wallet.
> 
> This was originally posted on FFnet, but I'm working on migrating my works to AO3 as well.

* * *

"This latest data set is extremely promising," she spoke into the recording device. "Factor counts from all Group A subjects are within normal range eighteen months after initial treatment, with no signs of degradation projected for the next six months. Subjects report positively to all aspects on the quality of life questionnaire."

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Enter," she said and turned off the recorder.

"Sorry to interrupt, Dr. Arendelle," her personal assistant, Gemma, said as she entered, arms laden with folders. She tipped them into the Inbox on the desk that was teetering dangerously due to the sheer amount of items needing the Chief Science Officer's attention. "The lupus nephritis research team has completed their budget proposal for the expansion to their QC lab. The approval meeting is not scheduled until next week, so you have quite some time to look through it."

"Thank you, Gemma," she said with a nod, not looking away from her computer.

"Also, your town car will pick you up in the lobby at five this afternoon."

That caught her attention. She looked up at her assistant with a single raised eyebrow.

"To take you to the Gala, ma'am," Gemma said gently.

 _Shit,_ she thought. _Is that tonight?_

"I picked up your dress from the tailors' yesterday. It's hanging in your coat closet," Gemma said quickly nodding to the small door in the corning. "Shoes and accessories are in there as well."

"As thoughtful as ever. Thank you," she responded gratefully. It was hard to find a personal assistant that could anticipate her every need. She learned that the hard way having gone through dozens of them before striking gold with this one. "Oh and Gemma?"

"Yes, ma'am?" The young woman said as she turned halfway around to look at her.

"Remind me to give you a raise."

"The paperwork has already been submitted, ma'am," Gemma said confidently.

"I hope I was generous."

"Too generous." Both women laughed heartily. Before leaving, Gemma gave her a small nod. "I'll remind you at four that you should start getting ready."

She sank low in her chair once the door closed, the usual perfect posture abandoned as she let out a sigh and wiped a hand down her face. She couldn't believe she'd completely forgotten about the Gala that night. She took a glance at her calendar and sure enough, in big red sharpie, it was marked in for tonight at seven. Opening up the middle drawer of her desk, she pulled out a large envelope with an embossed seal decorating the front. Inside was an invitation to the event and an accompanying letter.

* * *

_To the esteemed Dr. Arendelle,_

_I would like to congratulate you on your many accomplishments and inform you that you have been chosen as the recipient of the American Pharmaceutical Research Association's_ McMurray Visionary Award. _As you know, this most prestigious award in the field of pharmaceutical research and development is awarded to only one influencer every five years and is accompanied by a sizable grant to encourage and stipend their continued contributions to the medical field and the betterment of the world in which we live._

 _The Board unanimously agreed that your tireless dedication and incomparable achievements in the field, specifically the development of the gene therapy drug_ Cryonyx _and its effective treatment of both endocryogenic lysophilia A and B, were most deserving of this reputable award._

_We will be hosting a Gala in your honor, the invitation to which has been included in this package. Many of your industry's peers will be present and we have reached out to your father, Dr. Agnarr Arendelle, to give your introductory speech. It is customary for the Guest of Honor to also prepare a few words about their journey to get to where they are now._

_Tell us what inspired you to conquer what was previously thought to be insurmountable. We look forward to hearing about the secrets behind your success._

_Congratulations once more,_

_Dr. Bryan Westergaard, PhD_

_Chairman of the Board_

_American Pharmaceutical Research Association_

* * *

Oh no.

 _A speech? I forgot to prepare a speech,_ she thought frantically. She was terribly out of practice with public speaking and didn't even know where to start giving a speech about herself. She couldn't even remember the last time she had to give a speech. Was it… her high school valedictorian speech?

Oh no, no, no.

She wiped a hand down her tired face again with a sigh and her eyes fell on a small picture frame on her desk. She smiled as she looked at the two little girls in the photo, one blonde and one red-head, with a lumpy headed snowman in between them. The memory of that day was so vivid in her mind she could practically hear the laughter in her head, the smell of fresh snow coming to her nose, and a chill ran up her spine as the cold from the past seeped into the present. She glanced back to the letter in front of her.

_Tell us what inspired you to conquer what was previously thought to be insurmountable._

She nearly laughed at herself for being so thoughtless, as if she'd gotten ice in her brain. Pulling up a new word document on her computer, she took one more glance at the photo on her desk. It was so simple of course.

She'd just have to start at the beginning.


	2. Worlds Apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen nor its characters, nor do I own any characters from other Disney works. Disney owns everything - including my heart, soul, and wallet.

* * *

Elsa sat at a small lunch table on the edge of the Quad. The first day of ninth grade was not very different so far, the only change was that she was now studying upperclassmen subjects instead. They were proving to be difficult already and she was determined to not fall behind. Elsa felt that she had a lot to prove being the youngest student in most of her courses. She had her Pre-Calculus book propped up against her bag, studying while she ate her lunch.

"It's the first day of school," Rapunzel said. "In fact, it's only _halfway through_ the first day of school. What could she possibly be studying for already?"

Anna looked over to see the blonde girl sitting at the sunniest table on the lawn. She and her friends had specifically chosen a table in the shade. Today was considerably warm, at least for the Bay Area. Elsa didn't seem bothered though. She was nose deep in a textbook as usual, writing furiously in a notebook and holding her uneaten sandwich in her right hand. The small pang of sadness that always wormed its way into Anna's chest whenever she observed Elsa from afar crept in. She shook her head to both wave away the feeling and feign her distaste.

"Who cares?" Anna said, voice dripping with a false lightness. "Probably something too advanced for a high school freshman, but too dull for someone so freakishly smart."

"Well she's definitely freakish," scoffed Ariel. That elicited a laugh from Rapunzel and a small smile from Anna that didn't reach her eyes.

Anna let her gaze travel back to Elsa who happened to look up right at that moment. Their eyes met for the briefest second before Anna quickly looked away, suddenly engrossed in her chocolate pudding cup. It had been a long time since Anna could call Elsa her friend, but she still harbored deep seated hope that one day they would be close again.

* * *

" _Come on, Elsa. Will you just tell me why? I feel like you're shutting me out of your life. Is it because you got placed in those accelerated classes? Am I just not smart enough for you anymore?"_

" _You're very smart, Anna. Don't pretend that you aren't."_

" _Then why?" Anna asked tearily._

" _We just can't be friends anymore, Anna," Elsa said quietly._

" _Well it's a good thing we're not just friends. We're best friends," Anna said pleadingly. "Sisters."_

" _We can't be sisters anymore, Anna."_

* * *

"Anna? Hey, Anna!"

"Wha… What?" Anna said, breaking her train of thought. She looked around the empty table as she heard the warning bell ring for the next period.

"You coming? We've got English Lit with Ms. Beaufort," Ariel said.

"Yeah, sorry!" She hopped up from the table, spooning the remainder of the chocolate pudding into her mouth before tossing the cup into the trash on the way inside.

"What were you thinking about?" Ariel asked with concern.

"That I miss summer vacation already," Anna lied.

"Ugh! Me too. I just want to go to Monterey and lie on the beach," her friend whined. "It's almost fall, which means Karl is going to be rolling in daily soon. Once I'm done with high school, I'm moving to So Cal. Maybe I'll go to UCSD. I'm so done with the gloomy Bay weather. I need the beach and the ocean in my life everyday."

When they entered Ms. Belle Beaufort's class, Anna was surprised to see Elsa sitting front and center. Well, not the fact that she chose to sit there, that's where Elsa would have always preferred to sit and learn. No, she was surprised to see Elsa in _this_ class. They hadn't had a class together since the fifth grade, the last year before they both started attending Ahtohallan Girls Preparatory School.

"Please have a seat, Miss Noruldra."

"Wait, what?" Anna looked around to see that the class was staring at her. She had only made it a few steps into the door. Ariel was frantically nodding her chin toward the empty desk next to her. Elsa turned her head to look at her, raising as eyebrow with concern. _Wait. Concern can't be right,_ she thought.

"I'd like to begin class if you would take your seat," their teacher said again. Ms. Beaufort looked slightly amused. "Unless you'd prefer to stand for the duration of the period."

"No, no. I'm so sorry," she said and hurried to take the seat next to Ariel as the rest of the class giggled. Ariel fixed her with an incredulous look as she sat down.

 _What's up_? Ariel mouthed to her silently. Anna only shook her head as she pulled out a notebook and pen.

Elsa kept her eyes glued to the board in front of her as Anna hurried by her, resisting the urge to take her hand and give it an encouraging squeeze as she passed. It had been a long time since she and Anna had drifted apart. _Drifted apart? That's a laughable understatement,_ she thought. If Elsa was being honest with herself, she had forced their separation. There was no other way to put it. Elsa pushed Anna away, and now they were worlds apart. She hadn't realized when she'd chosen to take English Literature that she'd end up taking it with Anna. Elsa had heard from the girls in the grades above her that Ms. Beaufort was the best teacher on campus and she was eager for the opportunity to take one of her classes.

"Aside from two term papers, reading quizzes, and several in class essays," Ms. Beaufort was saying as Elsa tuned back into her introduction. "Twenty percentage of your grade will be based on a final creative project due at the end of the year which we will discuss more just before the winter holidays. It will be done with a partner on any book of your choosing."

There was a sudden shift in atmosphere as the girls began to try silently claiming partners amongst themselves. Anna and Ariel quickly looked at each other and nodded, the two red-heads easily deciding to work together until…

"Random partners," Ms. Beaufort clarified. She was answered by a collective groan from the class. Their teacher pulled up a randomizing generator on the electronic whiteboard and loaded the class roster into it. "Yes, yes. I know, how terribly provincial of me. Let's see how we do, shall we?"

Ms. Beaufort hit the 'Enter' key on her laptop and a quick animation of a cartoon mouse shaking a jar appeared before all their names appeared in a two column list.

"Oh! I got Aurora. Not terrible I guess," Ariel said from next to her. She gave the blonde at the back of the class a wave. Anna wasn't so sure that that _wasn't_ terrible luck. Aurora had a reputation for sleeping through most of class. "Who did you get?"

Anna skimmed the rest of the list and her stomach did a quick summersault. Right there, smack in the middle of the list…

Anna Noruldra - Elsa Arendelle

 _Well, that's just my luck,_ Elsa thought as she looked at the screen. Right there in front of her, clear as day, a sadistic joke on irony created by the universe. And she had a front row seat.

She knew when she saw Anna enter the classroom that avoiding her this year would prove more difficult than before. They were on completely different tracks, their curriculums having very little chance of crossing paths. Elsa specifically chose the accelerated path focused on the hard sciences because she knew Anna would stick to the arts and humanities courses. This, however, was the universe's way of teaching her that life cannot be so simple when you choose to live a lie. Elsa fumed internally. For the first time in her life, she felt like a rebellious teenager. This was one lesson she refused to learn.

She raised her hand, along with a few other girls.

"I'll be happy to answer any questions besides, 'Can we switch partners?'" Ms. Beaufort said. She watched as all the hands, including Elsa's, lowered themselves again.

 _That's fine,_ she thought to herself. _I'll find another way._

Anna could hardly pay attention to the remainder of the class. She was furious after watching Elsa raise her hand and then lower it after their teacher's comment about not switching. There was a time when they would have fought to be partners. It seems that those times truly were over. She didn't realize how much she still had been holding out for Elsa to be her friend again until this very moment. Anna felt crushed, and that made her illogically angry.

"What is she even doing in this class anyway?" Ariel said out loud as they finally left the classroom. Very out loud. Anna glanced in Elsa's direction, but she was already halfway down the hallway. "You would think she'd be taking AP Comparative Lit or something."

"Who?" Repunzel said as she approached. They had planned on getting ice cream after their first day of school together and Rapunzel had agreed to meet them outside of Ms. Beaufort's classroom after last period.

"Elsa," Anna said sullenly.

"She is. We had it together this morning," Rapunzel replied. She had been homeschooled until the seventh grade when her parents enrolled her in their prep school. They didn't own a television because her parents didn't really believe in having screens in the home so Rapunzel grew up reading two or three books a day. As a result, she was placed on the accelerated track in the school's offered English courses.

"No. We just got out of English Lit with her," Ariel said.

"Oh, yeah. I heard she's taking it as an elective."

"Elective?" Anna said incredulously.

"Yeah, you know? A class you pick, usually for fun," Rapunzel said sarcastically. "Like my art class and Ariel's two choir courses. What did you pick this year?"

"Art history," Anna said quickly. "But Elsa is in the Orchestra. Why would she take a freshman English course as an elective?"

"Oh, I heard from Midge that Elsa gave up her First Chair spot," Ariel said. Ariel was always deep in the gossip pools at school. Her depth of knowledge about all things juicy and rumor adjacent could fill the oceans.

"Why?!" Anna exclaimed. Several heads turned in their direction at her outburst and she lowered her voice before continuing. "Elsa is classically trained in piano and cello. Why would she quit the orchestra?"

"Beats me," Rapunzel said. "Why so interested?"

"She got paired with Elsa for the creative project," Ariel answered for her.

"Oh! I loved doing my creative project last year," Rapunzel said wistfully. "Mandy and I painted a mural in the community garden. We read _The Secret Garden_."

"Ugh," Anna sighed.

"I mean, yeah it's a bit on the nose, but the mural is beautiful."

"No, no. I know it is. I've seen it," Anna said. "I just don't know how I'm supposed to do a project with someone who wants nothing to do with me."

"You know, I'm sure that's not true," Rapunzel said as they headed down the main corridor toward the front exit. "You've told me before that you two used to be close."

"Attached at the hip is more like it," Ariel said. At the irritated look on Anna's face, she continued. "What? You were. If I saw one of you, the other was never far behind. We used to call you Elsanna because you were more like two halves of one person."

"See," Rapunzel pushed on. "I think this is just what you two need to bury whatever it is that got between you in the first place."

"I'm sorry, Miss Arendelle, but you know the rules," they heard a voice coming from the front office as they passed. "The deadline for schedule changes was Fall Welcome. I'm afraid you'll just have to stick it out in Ms. Beaufort's class."

"Or not," Ariel said, stopping next to Anna who had stalled in place just passed the doorway where Elsa was standing speaking to the vice principal.

"Surely there's room for an exception, Vice Principal Anders?"

"No can do, Miss Arendelle. If I made an exception for you, I'd have to for everyone, and then where would the rules be?"

"I understand. Thank you for your time."

Elsa came through the door and nearly walked right into Anna. _How long has she been standing here?_ She looked at the other two girls with Anna, Repunzel and Ariel. Ariel was who Anna had clung to after she put the distance between them. Elsa wasn't really a fan; she always felt that Ariel was a childish gossip who spent more time thinking about boys than her studies. Rapunzel, however, was a newer addition to Anna's life, but one that Elsa approved of. Not that she had any place to approve of anything for Anna these days.

Anna had that look of disappointment on her face. The same look that she had when Elsa essentially broke up with her. Elsa sighed and moved to pass them.

"You hate me that much, Elsa?"

She froze. It was the first thing Anna had said to her in nearly four years and the pain in her voice broke Elsa's heart. She turned her head slightly to look over her shoulder. _No, of course not. I could never hate you._

"Gerda is probably waiting for me," she said instead and continued out the front door.

* * *

" _Shh," Elsa whispered, slipping on her snow boots. "Quiet down or Gerda will hear us."_

_Anna was just bursting with excitement though, practically hopping from foot to foot as she waited impatiently for Elsa to get ready. It had started snowing outside and Anna woke Elsa up to go frolic in the fresh powder._

" _Come on, come on, come on!" Anna shouted with glee as they snuck into the backyard of the cabin their mother's had taken them to for the week. "Let's build a snowman!"_

" _Excuse me, young ladies," a stern voice called from behind them before they could even get ten steps out of the door. The girls immediately turned to find Gerda's angry figure back lit in the doorway. "It is the middle of the night. I'd already said you can play in the morning. Except now, as punishment for being out of bed, that will be_ after _you've completed your winter holiday homework."_

" _Yes, Gerda," they said sulkily as they trudged back into the house, allowing Gerda to guide them into their shared room. Once Gerda closed the door, Anna jumped out of her bed and into Elsa's._

" _I'm sorry I got us in trouble."_

_Elsa turned over to look at her. "We both got us in trouble."_

" _But you warned me to be quieter," Anna said, tears in her eyes. "Do you hate me now?"_

" _What!? Of course not. Nothing you ever do could make me hate you."_

* * *

Anna ran out of the school, shouting after Elsa as she went. She could care less if people were watching. "What did I ever do to you?"

"Enough, Anna," was all she got as Elsa continued to walk toward a black sedan parked along the curb. She could see Gerda waiting next to it.

"Why do you shut me out?" She insisted, still shouting even though she had caught up with Elsa. Anna grabbed her hand to keep Elsa from getting into her car. She was startled slightly by how cold it was despite it still being the tail end of the warm summer weather.

"Ah, Miss Anna. It's nice to see you," exclaimed Elsa's childhood Nanny, Gerda. "Are you coming over for a play date?"

"No, Gerda," Elsa said as she pulled her hand out of Anna's and yanking open the passenger door. "Please just take me home."

Gerda gave Anna a sad smile as Elsa slammed her door shut. "I'm sorry, Miss Anna. I hope you've been well."

"Fine. Thanks, Gerda," Anna said trying to look at Elsa through the tinted windows. Resigning herself to more of the cold shoulder, she sighed and turned away.

"Miss Anna?"

"Yes, Gerda?" She asked as she turned back to look at the matronly woman standing on the driver's side of the car now.

"I know it's been a very long time, but have patience. Miss Elsa is…" Gerda hesitated. Her eyes suddenly got a sad, distant look to them.

"Elsa's what? Cold hearted?" She said, voice dripping with bitterness.

Gerda gave her a pleading look. "Don't give up on her just yet, Miss Anna."

"She gave up on me first."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll post a chapter or two each week for now. At the moment, this story is a little on the back burner. My plan is to finish my first installment of my other big story (River Born), then come back to this to finish before I start writing book 2 of the River Born series. I hope you enjoy it! It's very different from River Born... much more angsty - which is really where my writing thrives the most (insert self-deprecating joke about sadness here). 
> 
> I don't use a BETA for this story, so please excuse any typos you might find. Anyway - as always, thank you for reading! I'll continue adding chapters to this while I have some to share.


	3. Duckling and Fawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen nor its characters, nor do I own any characters from other Disney works. Disney owns everything - including my heart, soul, and wallet.

* * *

" _You have to hold still, little duck," Jules said as she wiped tears away gently and lifted a five-year old Anna up to set her on the kitchen island. She took Anna's hand again and looked carefully at the index finger where a long splinter had lodged itself deeply. "I don't want to hurt you."_

" _But it stings, Mama Jules," Anna whined, more tears falling from her eyes. "And that's a very long needle. Can't we just wait till my mama gets here?"_

" _You know your mama is running an event at the auction house right now. She won't be back to pick you up for a while, but we need to get this out before it becomes infected," Elsa's mom replied._

" _Hey, Anna," Elsa said from her spot atop a bar stool. "Do you remember that time Billy Larkin shoved you in the sandbox?"_

_Anna looked at her best friend in confusion. "Yeeesss…"_

" _Well, you ended up scraping your elbow on the purple elephant slide. And do you remember what happened after that?"_

_Anna smiled at the memory. "You dropped ice cubes down his pants. He freaked out and took his pants off on the playground and everyone saw his 'Blues Clues' underwear." Both girls started laughing heartily at the reminder._

" _Girls, it's not very nice to laugh at someone's embarrassment," Jules said, though the girls noticed that she was having a hard time keeping the smile from her face._

" _And then," Elsa continued the story, "I took you to the nurse and held your hand. I told you a story about a Moose named…"_

" _Bear!" Anna said with a giggle. "Yeah, I remember. I didn't even realize that the nurse had cleaned all the sand from my scrape because your story was so funny."_

" _And you're all done," Jules said gently. Anna turned to her with wide eyes before checking on her finger which was already sporting a Mickey Mouse band-aid. Jules smiled at both girls. "Now, how about some chocolate ice cream?"_

" _Yes, please!" Anna said excitedly. She turned to Elsa with a grin. "You did it again! I didn't feel a thing."_

" _I don't like it when you hurt. I'll always try to take the pain away."_

* * *

"I'm thinking about dying my hair purple."

"Mmhm," Anna said as she pushed the peas around her plate.

"And I'm going to get a tattoo that says 'Proud Mama of Anna' right across my forehead."

"Sounds cool."

Iduna frowned at her daughter's despondent disposition. Sure, she was a teenager and, sure, it had been the first day of high school, but generally speaking, her daughter was always a jovial sort. "Well since you aren't actually listening to anything I say, I guess now is a good time to tell you that things are getting very serious with my boyfriend."

"That's nice…" Anna blinked and shook her head. "Wait. What?"

"There you are," her mother said. "You were a million miles away. Where did you go?"

"Nowhere."

"Did something happen at cheerleading tryouts?"

"No, tryouts went just fine. I'm pretty confident I'll make varsity this year as a flyer. Coach says I'm perfect because I'm so petite," Anna said with far less excitement than would be expected.

"So what's bothering you?"

"I just… I had a bit of a thing with Elsa after school, but that's not important right now," Anna said so quickly it came out as one long word. Her mother always seemed sad at the mention of Elsa or Mama Jules and she tried to gloss over things as nonchalantly as possible. "What is this about your boyfriend?"

Anna knew her mother had been seeing someone for quite some time, she didn't keep it a secret. She did, however, keep Anna from him and vice versa. After her mother's last serious boyfriend and she parted ways, Anna had been crushed. They'd been dating for nearly three years and Anna had become attached. It was while comforting her daughter over her own breakup that Iduna decided she would keep her dating life mostly separate from her life with Anna until she was sure it was the relationship to last.

"No, no. Let's start with you. What is this about you and Elsa?" Iduna asked. Although it pained Iduna that her goddaughter had pushed her away after her mother's death, it broke her heart more to know that Anna and Elsa were no longer friends. Knowing Elsa as she did, Iduna had a suspicion as to why she had put that distance between herself and those closest to her. "Are you okay? Is she okay? Did you have another fight?"

"Everyone is fine, at least physically, and you can't really fight if the other person won't say anything to you. Well, not _not anything_ , but basically nothing. If nothing means something but that holds squat behind it. Nothing even though that nothing cuts like icy knives to the heart. Am I even making any sense?… 'Enough, Anna,'" she said in her best impression of Elsa's calm, cold voice before letting out a pitiable sigh. "It's the most she's said to me in years. Why is it that the people who are supposed to take away your pain can hurt you the most?"

Iduna gave her daughter a sad look. "I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt you. Have you ever known Elsa to be malicious?"

"Yes," Anna said, bitterness and unresolved ache straining her voice, but she caved at her mother's raised eyebrow. "No… but to be fair, I don't think I even know her anymore. I don't think I've known her since Mama Jules…"

Silence took over when Anna couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. Her godmother was always a hard subject for her to talk about. She had been as close to her as she was to her own mom, and losing her was the worst thing that has ever happened to Anna. Her dad had been a soldier that was killed in action in Iraq mere months before she was born. She'd never even met him, and though the thought makes her sad, she never needed to mourn him. Her Mama Jules, however, had been in her life from the beginning. Her earliest memories involved her mom, her godmother, and her best friend. When she passed, Anna was devastated, especially after Elsa started pushing her away. However, like she and Elsa, her mother and Mama Jules had been best friends their whole lives. Even Anna's pain couldn't compare to what she imagined her mother felt when Jules was gone.

"I miss her too, baby," her mother said with tears in her eyes.

"Mama Jules or Elsa?" Anna waited for an answer but her mother only offered a sad smile. That was answer enough. Anna shook her head and took a deep breath before changing the subject. The atmosphere was getting far too heavy and Anna did _not_ like heavy. She smiled back at her mom. "So who's the guy?"

Iduna had nearly forgotten what she'd admitted to Anna. _Well, it's too late to backtrack now,_ she thought to herself. "He works in the BioTech industry. His company is currently working on some gene therapy options for a few rare diseases."

"Oh so he's a nerd?"

"Anna!"

"That's a nice change of pace. The last guy was such a…"

"Jock?"

"Moron."

"Anna!"

"What? I mean, who speaks in the third person like that?" Anna said and continued mockingly. "'No one lifts like Gaston. No one grills like Gaston.' You know what else? No one's as dumb as Gaston."

Mother and daughter stared at each other a moment before they both bursted at the seams with laughter, the mood instantly lifted. Iduna was just glad that Anna seemed to be in better spirits now, even if it was at her expense.

"Anyway," Iduna said, "we've decided it's time now. So don't make any plans for dinner on Friday."

Anna watched her mom for a moment as she returned her attention back to her plate. "So it's very serious then?"

"It is," her mother answered gently. "We were friends before, long before. We'd lost touch for a little while, but when we met again it was like no time had passed. Then our friendship grew into something more, and now we think it's time that everyone meets."

"Okay. I'll give him a chance, but if I don't think he's good enough for you, I won't hesitate to say so," Anna said firmly. Her mother only chuckled and nodded her head in reply. Then something clicked. "Wait, you said everyone?"

"He has a daughter. She's your age."

"Oh." Anna wasn't sure how she felt about that. Sharing her mother with a man was one thing. The idea of sharing her mother with another daughter gave Anna a feeling of anxiety of which she wasn't even aware she was capable. Like there were bees buzzing around her head and an elephant sitting on her chest.

"You'll always be my number one, Anna," Iduna said, sensing her daughter's apprehension. "Nothing will ever change that."

Anna looked at her mother and smiled. It was silly because she always knew that, but the tightness in her chest loosened once it was said out loud. "I know."

"Good. And, Anna?" Iduna said in a voice reserved only for her. "You and Elsa will be fine. It will all work out eventually."

"How do you know?" Anna asked sadly. It was a sentiment that she would have believed vehemently two, maybe three, years before. Now it had been far too long to continue being so optimistic; even if optimism was the nature of sunshine.

"Sisters always find their way back to each other."

"Vague much?"

Iduna only chuckled as she picked up both plates and headed to the sink. "I'll wash, you dry?"

Anna finished the rest of her chocolate milk and added it to the sink before picking up the dish towel. She wasn't sure why her mother preferred to do the dishes by hand though their Hayes Valley apartment had a state of the art dishwasher. _"It's just you and me. That's not enough dishes to warrant using a machine,"_ she would always say, but Anna thought that was a poor argument for a thinly veiled excuse to spend a little more time with her rapidly maturing daughter.

"Hey, Mom?"

"Yes, little duck?"

Anna melted at her most treasured term of endearment from childhood; even if it was simultaneously the one nickname she would be mortified for her friends to hear her be called. "Did you and Mama Jules ever have a falling out like this?"

"No," Iduna said as she took the dishrag from Anna and dried the last cup. "But Jules and I never went through something so life changing until we were already adults."

"You mean Dad?" Anna asked and her mother nodded.

"I actually tried to push her away after it happened, but she clawed and scraped at the walls I had tried to erect around myself until she eventually tore them down. She was always the feisty one, much like someone else I know," Iduna said as she tapped Anna playfully on the nose. "We used to joke that we gave birth to mini-versions of our best friend. Like the fates were rewarding us for cultivating a friendship as strong as ours."

Anna frowned at this. "And we went and ruined it all. Spit in the face of the gift that fate bestowed upon you."

"A sisterhood like yours never truly fades away. You just have to have some patience."

"You sound like Gerda," Anna said, rolling her eyes before looking to the floor. She thought she'd put the pain of Elsa's abandonment behind her a long time ago, but this conversation was dredging up old wounds.

"Makes sense. The woman practically raised me," her mother said. She felt her mother's soft hand under her chin as she lifted it to meet her gaze. "Do you remember what your Mama Jules and I would call Elsa, little duck?"

"Little fawn?"

"Mmhm. _You_ were always so adventurous. You knew when to stick close, but you never let fear of the unknown stop you from diving right into a new pond. Sometimes to the detriment of my sanity, mind you," Iduna teased and she placed a kiss on Anna's hairline. "Also, you were pigeon toed and it made you waddle around when you first learned to walk. Couple that with your inability to keep your shirt tail tucked in and the comparison is apt.

"Elsa, on the other hand, was always so cautious. Such a skittish little thing, always hiding behind our skirts in unfamiliar situations; the smallest changes to her environment completely disarming her usual calm approach to things," Iduna explained tenderly. "You cannot force your presence upon a fawn. You have to approach her with a quiet patience and wait for her to come to you."

"And what if I end up waiting forever?"

Her mother gave her another kiss to the forehead. "I think you'll find that forever isn't actually that long."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always - thank you for reading!


	4. Sensibility

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen nor its characters, nor do I own any characters from other Disney works. Disney owns everything - including my heart, soul, and wallet.

* * *

" _She gave up on me first," came the sound of Anna's muffled voice through the car door._

_Elsa watched Anna walk away toward a furious looking Ariel and a sympathetic looking Rapunzel. Regardless of her feelings toward Ariel, Elsa was glad that Anna had friends to comfort her. She caught one more glimpse of Anna as they pulled away from the school. The look on Anna's face nearly tore Elsa's resolve to shreds. Her shoulders were hunched and she aimlessly kicked at something on the ground. Even from this distance and within a moving car, Elsa could tell Anna was fighting tears._

" _She misses you just as much, you know?" Gerda asked from the driver's seat beside her. The older woman had been her mother's nanny when she was young. When Elsa was born, Jules had begged Gerda out of retirement. She believed that every girl would benefit from having someone like Gerda in their life. Jules just went a step further to secure Elsa the_ actual _Gerda. To Elsa, she was less of a nanny and more of the grandmother she never had. Despite that, however, Elsa was not in the mood for a lecture._

" _I don't want to talk about it, Gerda," Elsa said, petulance that her voice almost never had coloring her tone._

" _That's fine because I only need you to listen," Gerda said sternly._

So much for not getting lectured, _Elsa thought._

" _Now I've kept my silence though I've felt that you've acted rashly and, in my opinion, extremely distastefully. I, however, can no longer stand idly by as I watch you tear down the greatest friendship you'll ever experience," Gerda said before softening her voice. "You and Miss Anna have something special. The kind of sisterhood that even some connected through blood never form. I had thought that the bond between your mother and Miss Iduna was unrivaled, but their friendship was nothing compared to yours with Miss Anna. It is a disservice to the world to deny such a thing."_

_There was a long pause as they turned up the winding road to the Arendelle Manor before Gerda had one final thing to say._

" _Your mother would not have wanted this."_

_Elsa only sighed and stared out of the passenger window as her home came into view. The home that now felt so empty without her mother's presence or Anna's rambunctiousness._

" _I know."_

* * *

Elsa was spending her lunch studying in the library. She had a busy weekend and she wanted to get as much of her school work done beforehand to ensure she had enough time. At least, that's what she was telling herself. If she took the time to really reflect, she wouldn't be able to deny that she'd been _hiding_ in the library since the first day of school. Following her disastrous reunion with Anna, she had avoided the girl like the plague. Today, however, was Friday and they'd have class together again so there would be no avoiding her. She had spent her solitary time, which (let's face it) was all of her time, these last couple days trying to solve her current situation. Elsa was partnered with Anna on a project that could very well end up deciding her final grade in the course. That much was irrevocably true. Going about doing so without falling back into old, friendlier habits would be the issue.

She first considered simply offering to do the whole project for them. Elsa worked best on her own anyway, and this would guarantee high marks for the pair. However, she knows, or at least she knew, Anna better than anyone. The ginger girl is stubborn and prideful; she won't take to the idea of shirking her responsibility and allowing Elsa full control over the project quite so simply. No, no. That really wasn't an option, but she was drawing a blank on how to _avoid_ Anna while still working _with_ Anna.

"I don't know!" she exclaimed and slammed her Chemistry book shut. It's not like she was really studying from it anyway.

"Ahem."

Elsa's head spun quickly to catch Ms. Gesner glaring in her direction. The librarian appeared to be as ancient as the school itself, but she could restock books at such an alarming pace that most students would swear she had multiple tentacles for arms and legs. The crone pointed to the sign hanging above her reading 'Quiet Please' despite knowing that Elsa was the only student there.

Elsa gave her an apologetic look before glancing at her watch. It was nearly fifth period. Time for avoiding Anna was over. She gathered her things and, with one final apology to Ms. Gesner on her way out, Elsa headed for Ms. Belle Beaufort's classroom.

"Class doesn't begin for another ten minutes, Miss Arendelle," her teacher said as she walked into the room.

"Oh, I know. I was just done with lunch and thought I'd come get settled," Elsa responded. "Is that okay?"

"Of course. I just thought you didn't much enjoy my class," Ms. Beaufort said but clarified after taking in the shocked expression on Elsa's face. "Vice Principal Anders told me that you tried to switch out after class on Wednesday during the ninth grade's free block."

Elsa felt the blush come to her cheeks. "It's nothing against you, Ms. Beaufort. I've actually been looking forward to the opportunity to take a class of yours. It's just that… Well, you see…"

"It's the partner project?" She asked. Elsa only nodded and Ms. Beaufort gave her an understanding smile. "There's always one or two girls that are desperate to get out of working with whoever they are partnered with. I was a teenage girl once too. Rivalries and cat fights are not a foreign concept to me. I can understand that not all personalities are the most harmonious…"

"It's not that," Elsa blurted. "It's just Anna and I… There's a history there."

"I know."

"You do?"

"Well, I at least had a suspicion. You see, I grew up with your mothers. I remember how they were. It actually surprised me when you two seemed quite the opposite."

"We weren't always," Elsa said defensively, much to her own surprise.

Ms. Beaufort fixed Elsa with a calculating look. "I think I understand. Well, as it is, your enrollment in this class is final so it would seem you are stuck with Miss Noruldra."

The warning bell rang before Elsa could respond and she took her seat as the rest of the class began flooding into the room, discreetly watching Anna and Ariel arrive and take their seats a few rows behind her.

"Want to go to the mall tonight?" Elsa heard Ariel ask.

"I can't. I have a dinner," Anna said.

"Oh! A date?! Who is it? How did you meet? Would you say he's handsome, cute, or hot? Spill the deets, Anna! I can't believe you've been holding out on me."

 _Really, Anna. Why are you friends with this vapid girl?_ Elsa thought to herself with an eye roll.

"Oh my god, Ariel. Stop," Anna said, laughing. "No, I'm just meeting my mom's boyfriend tonight."

_Oh, Mama Ida found someone. That's good._

"Sounds serious," Ariel said.

"Must be if they're arranging a dinner for all of us to meet," Anna said. "Apparently he has a daughter that's about our age."

Elsa sat up straighter, which was a wonder as she always sat with the perfect posture of a classically trained pianist. Her godmother had a serious boyfriend and he had a daughter; a boyfriend serious enough that she was introducing Anna to him. There was another girl in this world that might one day be Anna's _actual_ sister. The thought made Elsa's chest ache and the room felt colder somehow, like the sun had suddenly been blacked out by storm clouds, and the blood rushing in her ears sounded like gusts of wind with each heartbeat.

* * *

" _Anna?" Elsa asked as the gale outside blew fiercely. The breeze coming off the bay was rather unrelenting that night; winter in San Francisco had decided to arrive with force this year._

" _Yeah?" The red-head rolled over to look at her. They were laying in Elsa's bed together. Even though Anna had her own room at Arendelle Manor, the girls always slept together in one of their bedrooms. Tonight, the tradition was less slumber party and more necessary comfort; both girls unable to sleep from worry._

" _Do you think my mama will be okay?" They had been having dinner earlier that night when Elsa's mother suddenly felt faint and icy cold to the touch. Elsa's dad and Anna's mom shared a concerned look before telling Gerda they were taking Jules to the hospital. In their haste, the adults did a poor job comforting the nine year-olds. Agnarr had simply told Elsa that she'd be fine in what was an attempt at a gentle voice, but it quaked with an uncertainty that left Elsa and Anna more afraid than before he'd said it._

" _Mama Jules is strong," Anna said reassuringly._

" _I know she is," Elsa responded so quietly that Anna would have missed it if they weren't so close. She closed her eyes and a small tear that she had been holding in betrayed her by rolling over the bridge of her nose to the pillow below._

" _Hey. No matter what happens, I'm going to be right here, okay?" Anna said, demonstrating by moving to scooch in closer, cuddling right up to her best friend._

" _What would I ever do without you?" Elsa said with a smile._

" _Become a totally boring nerd," Anna joked, trying to lighten the mood. Elsa giggled so she knew it was working. "You'd spend all your time reading or mastering whatever instrument interests you next and probably never leave this Manor except to go to school or go ice skating. You'd turn as pale as a ghost from all your time indoors, but that's all irreverent… iridescent… what am I trying to say?"_

" _Irrelevant?"_

" _That," Anna said as she draped an arm over Elsa. "You'll always have me. More like stuck with me, actually."_

" _Stuck with you?" Elsa said with a laugh._

" _Yup! Stuck like superglue. Nothing can tear us apart. I will be right here in the good times when chocolate supplies are large enough to compete with our needs and the bad times when Gerda makes us finish our broccoli before we can have dessert…"_

" _I like broccoli."_

" _Please, Elsa. I'm trying to be poetic here and you're going to make me gag."_

" _Oh okay, sorry," Elsa giggled again. "Please continue."_

" _I'll be there when it's winter and we get to go up to the snow, when it's hot, like 'the best weather for chocolate ice cream hot,' and when…"_

" _I thought you said it's always the best weather for chocolate ice cream?" Elsa asked. Anna only stared at her, both eyebrows raised at the second interruption. "Sorry. Go on."_

" _Just like it's been our whole lives, I promise I'll be right by your side until the sun burns out and the world is covered in frost," Anna said as she adopted a more serious look, one that was more typical of Elsa even at their young age. Anna always told Elsa that she took herself too seriously for a fourth grader, but after her mom started getting sick about a year ago, Elsa seemed to worry constantly. "It's just like our moms say. We can conquer anything as long as we're together."_

_Elsa smiled, tears still in her eyes but now they were no longer from fear or sadness. "You always make me feel better."_

_Anna tilted her head until their foreheads touched. "That's what sisters are for, Elsa."_

* * *

"Elsa? Hello… Earth to Elsa," came an aggravated voice pulling Elsa from her memories and back into the harsh present. Anna was standing in front of her, eyebrows furrowed. When Elsa looked up she saw something else behind Anna's eyes that contradicted her tone of voice. If she wasn't mistaken, she'd say Anna looked concerned.

 _Could she still worry too much about me? Even after all this time,_ she thought.

"You were a million miles away. Where'd you go?" Anna asked as she pulled a desk closer to her.

_Definitely still worries._

"Nowhere. What do you want?" Elsa said, voice devoid of any emotion, low and nearly robotic. _Looks like I've decided how I'm going to play this._

Like an unfeeling Ice Queen.

Anna looked hurt for a moment before schooling her features. "Were you even paying attention? We're supposed to spend the rest of the period deciding on what book we're reading for our project. Since we're stuck together on this, here I am."

 _Stuck like superglue._ Elsa looked at her watch. _That can't be right? There's only twenty minutes left of class. I don't even know what today's lesson was about._

"Somewhere you have to be?" Anna said sarcastically, anger simmering just beneath the surface as Elsa's eyes darted between her Apple Watch to the wall clock and back again.

Elsa ignored her question. "What book do you have in mind?"

Anna rolled her eyes. A well practiced move it appeared to Elsa, so fluid a motion that you'd think Anna's intraocular muscles were well tuned pistons. "Well since we have to choose a book that neither of us has read, I figured I'd defer to you. I assume you've read every book in the library at your house over the last few years?"

It wasn't really a question.

 _And she isn't exactly wrong_ , Elsa's internal monologue interrupted again.

"It may be easier to list books that might interest you and I'll tell you if I've read it," Elsa said, voice still carefully controlled and apathetic.

"I'll take that as a yes," Anna said and looked down at the handout of suggestions Ms. Beaufort had handed out. "How about something by Shakespeare?"

"Read them."

"All of them?" Anna asked incredulously.

"I've had time," Elsa responded with an ever so slight, single shoulder shrug.

"I'm sure you have."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "What else?"

" _Wuthering Heights_?"

"Read."

" _To Kill a Mockingbird_?"

"Read."

" _Madame Bovary_?… _As I Lay Dying_?… _Things Fall Apart_?… _The Great Gatsby_?"

Elsa found it easier to remain blank faced as Anna suggested books off the list; waiting until she said one that met the criteria.

"Okay, _obviously_ you've read the classics. I should have known since the library at the Manor is ancient. How about something more current?" Anna said as she flipped the pages of the handout. " _The Joy Luck Club_?… _The Perks of Being a Wallflower_?… One of the _Harry Potter_ books?…"

That caught Elsa's attention, emotion finally flitting across her features as she peered at Anna with the faintest look of horror. "You haven't read the _Harry Potter_ books?"

"I've seen all the movies."

Elsa blinked. "You're hopeless."

"Yeah, well you're heartless!"

"Ladies," Ms. Beaufort said as she approached them, hands clasped behind her back. Anna and Elsa looked up at her before glancing around the room to see that everyone was staring in their direction. Neither girl had realized that the volume of their discussion had crescendoed dramatically. "Might I make a suggestion?"

Their teacher didn't wait for an answer before handing Elsa and Anna twin books.

" _Sense and Sensibility_? I've heard of this book which means Elsa's probably read it," Anna said looking at the well worn cover and spine.

"I have not," Elsa responded and Anna stared at her, mouth agape. Elsa just shrugged. "I prefer the Brontes."

"Give Jane a chance, Miss Arendelle. I'll convert you yet," Ms. Beaufort chuckled. The end of period bell rang and the class started gathering their things. "Do not procrastinate on reading your chosen works as you'll need to read it on top of our other required readings. You'll want it finished before the Winter break. We'll go over my expectations for the final assignment before then."

Elsa hurried to pack her bag. She had AP Comparative Government for the last period and needed to make it across campus. Mr. Weselton was not a teacher you wanted to cross and tardiness to the first class with him of the school year would most assuredly be cause for his aggressive attention to be sighted on her.

"Do you know what this book is about?" Anna asked from beside her.

Elsa looked up surprised that Anna was still there. She was not at all excited about this book suggestion. She had gotten the feeling that Ms. Beaufort was extremely perceptive regarding her students during their interaction before the start of class. Elsa realized the moment her teacher had placed this book in her hands that she had spectacularly underestimated her. The book suggestion implied that Ms. Beaufort could see through to the subtext, read between the lines of all the things left unsaid, and would unapologetically seek to control the narrative.

"A relationship between two sisters," she answered before walking away without saying goodbye.

A soft "oh" was all that chased her out the door.


	5. Blindsided

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen nor its characters, nor do I own any characters from other Disney works. Disney owns everything - including my heart, soul, and wallet.

* * *

Elsa had spent most of her final class of the week replaying her last interaction with Anna over and over in her head; evaluating and re-evaluating and second-guessing her decision to feign unfeeling indifference. The way she'd walked away from… no... abandoned Anna at the end of the previous period left her feeling hollow. However, there was no turning back now. The damage was done. Like buildings crumble to ruins over time or funny shaped snowmen melt in the sun, Elsa was sure their friendship would erode in the wake of her assumed apathy.

"How was your Friday, Miss Elsa?" Gerda asked her as Elsa climbed into the passenger seat.

"It was fine," she lied.

"I'm glad. Ready to go home?"

_No, definitely not._ Her home felt too spacious yet overly stifling at the same time. It was only herself and her father living in the grand house that had been passed through her family for generations, but it was usually just Elsa there since her dad worked so much it was almost as if he lived at his office instead. Sure, Gerda and her husband, Kai, also lived at the Manor in a small private wing, but the majority of the place remained unused. Furnished for people that were never around, like dioramas of a life that once was. The emptiness made Elsa feel agoraphobic while the heaviness in the air of memories passed settled as a weight on her shoulders. She really would rather be anywhere else right now. "Actually, are my skates still in the trunk? Could we maybe go to the rink first?"

Gerda's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Are you not tired?"

"No, I'm tired, but I feel good," Elsa said slowly as she mentally assessed herself. Gerda sent her a questioning look. "Please, Gerda? I really miss the ice."

"It may not be a good idea, Miss Elsa. Your father has invited guests over for dinner tonight and you're expected to be there. What would I tell him if you tire yourself out too much to attend?" Gerda asked but caved at the puppy dog eyes Elsa made at her, the one weapon at Elsa's disposal that she knew Gerda was defenseless against. Gerda took a left, toward the Ice Palace instead of the Manor. "Oh alright, but I will need to drop you off as I have to head back to the Manor to prepare dinner. I'll send Kai to pick you up in a couple hours."

"A couple of hours is all I ask," Elsa said, perfect smile shining radiantly in the afternoon light pouring through the windshield. "Thanks, Gerda."

* * *

" _Don't worry, Anna. Just hold onto me like this," Elsa said, holding Anna's right hand in her left, her own palm face up so that Anna's hand rested on top. Elsa tucked Anna's elbow into the crook of hers so that Anna could use her full forearm to support herself on Elsa. The girls believed that Elsa being left handed and Anna being right was further proof they were always meant to be best friends. Like complementary halves of a whole, able to support each other on the side they needed it the most. "I won't let you fall."_

" _We both know it's_ me _that will make_ you _fall," Anna mumbled nervously as they slid out onto the rink. Anna was just as graceful on the ice as she was on the land. That is to say, not._

_Elsa, on the other hand, had been taking figure skating lessons since she was four. Their mothers had taken them to a skating rink for Elsa's birthday that year and everyone was surprised when Elsa took to the ice as if she were born to glide along a frozen surface. Her mother found the best coach in the greater Bay Area and secured Elsa's enrollment by the end of the day. Even at just eight years-old, Elsa's natural talent was evident and her coach was already implying that a trip to the Winter Olympics in 2022 was easily within grasp._

_Anna was clinging both to Elsa and the wall as they made their way onto the ice. When Elsa tried to pull her more toward the center of the rink, Anna shook her head desperately._

" _No no no… I can't do this, Elsa," Anna lamented. "Remember what happened the last time I tried skating with you?"_

_Elsa did, of course, as it was one of the scariest experiences of her life. It was about a year ago. Elsa was showing Anna some of the simple jumps she'd mastered in her training and didn't notice when Anna decided to glide out onto the ice to join her. She definitely didn't notice when Anna had tried a jump she'd seen Elsa do. It wasn't until Elsa heard a scream that she turned to see Anna crumpled on the ice and she sped as fast as she could to reach her. Anna had unfortunately broken her arm when she tried to catch herself. She'd been too fearful to try skating again until now._

" _You can do this, I promise. Here," Elsa said as she spun around to stand in front of Anna, skating backward slowly as she took both of Anna's hands in hers. "Just focus on bending your knees and keeping your balance. I'll pull you with me." They did a couple laps this way before Elsa encouraged Anna to start moving her feet in small movements to help propel herself forward. "That's it, you've got it."_

" _Wait, what are you doing? Where are you going!?" Anna asked as Elsa let go of her hands and continued to skate backward toward the center of the ice._

" _I said you got it. Just come this way."_

" _Oh no! No way, sister. I refuse! I'm going back to sit down," Anna shouted back at her. Just as she turned around, she heard a crinkling sound coming from Elsa's direction and looked back over her shoulder to find that Elsa was unwrapping a bar of chocolate. "Hey! We're supposed to share that!"_

" _I know," Elsa said and she took a big bite. "So you should get over here quick before I eat the whole thing."_

" _You wouldn't dare!"_

_Elsa answered by slowly and deliberately taking another large bite, raising her eyebrows in a clear, playful taunt. She watched as Anna debated with herself, looking toward the safety offered by the stands and back to Elsa enjoying their candy bar without her. A look of determination settled across her face and she began timidly stepping her way toward Elsa. Anna did well for her first few steps before she nearly took a tumble as her skate slid outward unexpectedly. Elsa's eyes widened in horror, but she let out a breath of relief when Anna managed to right herself._

" _I'm okay!" Anna said, arms out wide in an attempt to increase her sense of balance. She looked back up at Elsa with a grin. "And I'm coming for that chocolate."_

" _I'd like to see you try," Elsa teased. Just as Anna was almost in arms reach, Elsa began drifting backward again._

" _Hey! No fair! You have to stay still."_

" _Says who?" Elsa said around yet another large mouthful of melting chocolate. She steadily picked up the pace and was pleased when Anna kept up with her. Elsa shoved the last bit of the chocolate bar in her mouth and grinned. She quickly spun around to be behind Anna, narrowly avoiding the red-head's hand as she reached out for her. Elsa gently tugged on the tail of Anna's shirt that was sticking out from underneath her sweater in order to help her slow down. They hadn't exactly gone over how to stop yet._

" _I cannot believe you finished the whole thing," Anna said, seething with anger and disappointment. She stood there in the middle of the rink, arms crossed, head turned determinedly away from Elsa. "You broke your promise."_

" _Anna," Elsa said gently._

" _No."_

" _Anna, just look."_

" _Nope. I'm upset with you."_

" _Okay, I guess I'll just eat yours then."_

" _Wait. What?" Anna turned to see Elsa holding out an unopened bar of chocolate. Smiling, Anna took the offer. "You didn't say you'd brought two bars of chocolate."_

" _I know how to motivate you," Elsa said with a shrug._

_Anna took a bite and looked around. She realized the exit was way on the other side of the rink and her eyes grew wide. "Um, you wouldn't happen to have another of these? I'm not sure I can make it off the ice without a little more encouragement."_

* * *

"Well if it isn't Elsa Arendelle," a cross voice called from behind her as Elsa pulled out of a long held layback spin. "It's been a long time. I'm surprised you even know how to stay upright on those blades of yours."

_I see she's still upset_ , Elsa thought as she turned to see her coach. Or rather, former coach.

About eight months ago, when Elsa told former Olympian Casey Carlyle that she was hanging up her skates, her coach was incensed and Elsa couldn't really blame her. Casey had put a lot of time and effort into Elsa's development, passing on other up-and-coming figure skaters to focus on solely her because she believed that Elsa was destined to accomplish what she could not - win Olympic Gold.

"Hey, Coach," she tried to be light and airy, but her nerves made her voice crack, coming out squeaky like a boy on the cusp of puberty. Casey made an irritated sort of harumph in acknowledgement. Her coach had always been an intense character; her training extending past the ice rink as she tutored Elsa in math and physics. She explained that understanding the logic and numbers behind her movements would only aid in her ability to master the jumps and spins. She always pushed Elsa a little more every training session, succeeding more than once to bring her to tears. "How have you been?"

"How have _you_ been?" Casey asked instead. Elsa frowned, eyebrows knitting together as she scrutinized her coach. "You know, I spoke to your father sometime ago? Tried to appeal to him to _force_ you to continue your training after you unceremoniously abandoned me."

_Abandoned. More misdeeds to add to the list it seems,_ Elsa mused. "Oh?"

"He told me about therapy," Casey said more delicately. Elsa fixated on her skates, focused intensely on the ice shavings clinging to the blades instead of the anxiety building in her chest. "I've known you since you were four, Elsa. You could have told..."

"Have you picked up anyone new?" Elsa interrupted. It was inelegant and obtrusive and everything that was Elsa's opposite whenever she was on the ice. She got her point across though and her coach obliged, dropping the current course of conversation.

"I'm working on it," Casey said as the door to the rink slammed open. "Speaking of which…"

Four little skaters came out onto the ice. Casey looked at them and raised her hand up, pointing to the ceiling before drawing a few quick circles in the air indicating that they should start with a few laps to warm up. She then looked back at Elsa and smiled. "You staying a while? The little one with the pigtail braids is going to be my next star. Just five years old. I want you to work with her today."

* * *

" _So... what do you think?"_

" _That people cheering on cheerleaders who aren't themselves cheering on sports players is rather circuitous, but I enjoyed the show," Elsa said as she and Anna bought some snacks at the concession stand. Anna was starting to get restless as they awaited the results of the Junior Division category, having finished the routine with her squad a couple hours earlier. There were still a few more teams to go, so her mom handed her some cash and Anna welcomed the distraction, dragging Elsa along with her._

" _Elsa, how many times do I have to tell you? We're ten… well, I'm still ten, you're eleven... and I don't read the dictionary for fun like you do. What's 'circui…' What was it?"_

" _Circuitous. It means roundabout," Elsa said, staring at her feet as they made their way back, taking a small sip from the brightly colored slush drink they were sharing. "And I don't read the dictionary for fun."_

" _I know, I'm only teasing," Anna said with a bright smile, but Elsa didn't look up so Anna backtracked the conversation. "What did you think of my aerial stunts?"_

" _They're scary," Elsa whispered, looking back up to meet Anna's eyes. "They throw you so high. You could get very hurt."_

" _Yeah, but I trust them to catch me. I've broken more bones and sprained more joints playing at the Manor than I have being tossed in the air for cheer."_

_Elsa only nodded and the conversation dropped. It had been hard lately, keeping conversations going with Elsa. She had been withdrawn, constantly lost so deeply in her own thoughts that Anna had resorted to shaking her by the shoulders on multiple occasions in order to gain her attention. Anna hadn't seen Elsa smile in months, but she didn't blame her. It was to be expected really. What made it unbearable was that Elsa wouldn't talk to her about how she was feeling and Anna didn't know how to make her._

" _You were like the sun."_

Bright and brilliant, _her mind finished the thought. Anna stopped walking, the familiar words squeezing her heart and tears started forming involuntarily in the corners of her eyes. Elsa took a couple more steps before realizing that Anna wasn't next to her anymore. She turned around to look back at her; eyebrows scrunched together, clearly confused._

" _What?" Anna whispered._

" _That's what Mama would have said if she..." Elsa trailed off, looking back down at her feet again. She watched Elsa close her eyes and take a shaky breath. "'Anna was like the sun. Bright and brilliant, hanging over everyone and casting her light on the crowd.' I understand it now."_

Be strong for her, Anna _. A familiar voice rang in her ears as Elsa recited the phrase Mama Jules always said to Anna when watching her competitions. She inhaled deeply and willed the tears not to fall. Shoving the pack of M &Ms into her jacket pocket, she took Elsa's free hand, giving it a small squeeze to make Elsa look up._

" _I miss her too," was all Anna could think to say. The sentiment felt lacking. Anything she could think of to tell Elsa how much she understood, how she'd always be right here, all of it, felt monumentally inadequate. But then the corners of Elsa's mouth quirked up slightly, a smile so minuscule and brief it was almost missed, and Anna knew._

_It was enough._

* * *

"Tough day, sweetie?" Iduna asked as she pulled her daughter's bags off of her and delicately pushed Anna's bangs from her eyes as she coaxed the girl awake.

Anna was dead tired. Coach Lana had run a pure conditioning session for the first cheerleading practice of the school year and she was pretty sure she'd left her lungs somewhere along the school's track. She didn't even make it to her bedroom. Instead Anna collapsed face first on the floor in the living room, cheerleading duffle and backpack still on. That was how her mother found her when she arrived home after her day at the auction house.

"Two miles..." Anna whined, still lying prone on the faux fur rug. "Coach made us run two miles today and then we did some strength training afterward. Everything feels like jello. I have sore muscles I didn't even know existed. Are there muscles in your ear lobes? Because I swear I pulled something there."

Iduna laughed softly. "I don't think so, but what do I know? I deal in antiquities. We can ask my boyfriend at dinner tonight. Unless you're too tired?"

"I am, but, for you, I'll manage," Anna said, groaning as she made a show of peeling herself off of the floor laboriously. "Though, I think I need a nap… and promises of ice cream to get me through it."

"The place we're going has a delicious chocolate soufflé."

That quickly perked Anna up a bit. "As good as Gerda's?"

"You could say that," Iduna said with a mischievous smile that Anna didn't quite understand. She was too overwhelmingly tired to question it though. "Now go wash up. You can nap in the car."

And nap she did. Everything over the last hour or so felt like a blur, beginning with stepping into the bathroom. The warmth and steam of her hot shower as she massaged her sore muscles nearly put her to sleep right there; memories of crowded bleachers, clouds of hairspray, and her flying above it all, like the sun hanging in the sky, still floating through her head. But now her mom was gently shaking her shoulder in an attempt to stir the sleeping girl awake for a second time that night. Anna could hardly remember even getting into the car.

"Come on, little duck. It's time for dinner." Her mother was leaning over her from the open passenger side door of what a confused Anna assumed was their Prius. Iduna unbuckled Anna's seatbelt and wiped the drool from the side of Anna's mouth like she did when her daughter was much smaller. Anna heard her mother chuckle slightly. "You really are tired, but you'll feel much better after you eat something."

"I feel like I could eat an elephant and then sleep for a year," she said with a yawn, climbing out of the car and up the steps, whimpering slightly as her tired muscles protested the additional exertion after an afternoon of hard endurance training. She nearly tripped on the last ledge, groggily unaware of her surroundings. Anna heard a doorbell ring. _Why is there a doorbell at a restaurant?_

"Ah, Miss Iduna. Miss Anna. It is so good to have you home," came a familiar voice.

Anna's eyes shot wide open, suddenly awake. Sure enough - there was Gerda standing at the threshold of Arendelle Manor, and, just past her, a platinum blonde girl looking visibly distressed was frozen in place halfway through her descent down the staircase.


	6. Returning Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen nor its characters, nor do I own any characters from other Disney works. Disney owns everything - including my heart, soul, and wallet.

* * *

Anna hadn't been back here since the summer after fifth grade on the anniversary of Mama Jules' passing, but the familiarity was still there. She spotted the grand staircase that curved down into the foyer where she'd sprained her wrist at age seven after she attempted to ride the railing all the way down. She saw the archway to her left that led to a room of paintings she and Elsa would pretend to talk to while playing make believe. The echoes of stormy afternoons spent as knights slaying a dragon or morning tea parties as princesses whispered like phantoms only she could hear. And somewhere above, Anna suspected her room still sat just across the hall from a door with a snowflake design, likely untouched over the last three years.

"Hello, Gerda," Iduna said.

Despite standing right next to her mother, Anna barely made out her words. She could hear Gerda's voice speaking to her but it was muffled, as if it were coming through water. She felt Gerda's familiar hands, rough from cooking and gardening but still gentle and warm, cupping her cheeks. "Miss Anna, you're looking worn. How are you feeling?"

_Like a fool… Duped… Made laughing stock… Betrayed. Take your pick,_ she thought but couldn't find her voice to put any of it into verbalized words. This wasn't what she thought it was right? She's mistaken somehow? We're only dropping by on our way to some restaurant and would get back in the car soon... But if that's the case, why is Gerda taking off my coat? Is this some sick kind of joke?

Anna looked at her mom who was chatting with Gerda like old friends. _Because they are old friends,_ she continued monologuing in her head. How could she be so stupid? She didn't even think to ask her mother what this new boyfriend's name was.

"Mama Ida?" A voice came from above them and the world snapped back into focus, Anna's head breaking water's surface. Elsa was still standing on the stairs, eyes darting quickly between the three women in the foyer before settling on Gerda. She carefully made her way down the remaining steps. "These are dad's guests for dinner?"

"Well 'hello' to you too," Anna mumbled under her breath, receiving a warning look from her mother to behave.

_I'm just meeting my mom's boyfriend tonight._

_This cannot be happening_ , Elsa thought frantically. She didn't move away from the steps once she reached the ground floor, focusing very hard on just remaining upright - one controlled breath after another. A familiar tightness in her chest was beginning to take hold as she took in the sight of Iduna and Anna. It had been years since she'd seen Mama Ida; though, it wasn't without her godmother's trying. Iduna tried to stay a part of Elsa's life after her mother died, but Elsa stubbornly pushed her away just as she had with Anna. It wasn't until Elsa sat her down and practically begged for space that her godmother finally obliged. She had told Mama Ida that being around them was too painful; that they stirred too many memories which were now cold and sad. Half truths easily spilled to secure what she needed to do. Even still, every year on her birthday, Elsa found a special present delivered to her. It was always unsigned but the penmanship of the "Happy Birthday, Elsa" message was unmistakably discernible.

"Come here, sweetheart," Iduna said, arms spread wide as she made her way toward Elsa. She stopped at the midpoint when she noticed her goddaughter hesitate, almost visibly recoiling from her approach.

_You cannot force your presence upon a fawn_ , her mother's words rang in her ears as Anna watched her wait patiently.

Elsa debated with herself momentarily. If she were to correctly play the part that she'd begun crafting earlier that day, Elsa needed to be careful. But as she looked at Mama Ida's welcoming smile and the promise of a warm embrace, she felt herself overcome with the need to be held by the woman who was as much a mother to her as her own had been. Slowly, a pace at a purposeful adagio, she closed the gap between them and melted into Mama Ida's arms, taking in her familiar scent. Where her mother had smelled like springtime, all lilacs and cherry blossoms, her godmother was distinctly the fall; like warm spiced cider and crisp breezes.

"Hello there, little fawn. I have missed you so," Elsa heard her whisper and she felt tears stinging in her eyes. It had been a long time since she'd allowed anyone to hug her; the last person being her mom on her deathbed. Whether she was guarding that last hug from her mother or if it was some sort of self-inflicted punishment, she hardly even knew herself. When Iduna finally pulled away, Elsa could see the concern in her eyes. Mothers always seemed to sense when things were wrong, but Elsa just turned away and made sure the traitorous tears dried without falling.

Anna stood there, watching her mother hold Elsa, jealousy biting away at her insides. It felt like a fire building in her gut, burning steadily as kindling was added to it every second that the hug lasted. Whether she was jealous of her mother holding Elsa or Elsa being held by her mother she wasn't exactly sure, but it was taking every ounce of restraint she had not to put herself in between the two.

"It's good to see you, Mama Ida," Elsa said quietly. "It's... been a long time."

_Oh, so her voice_ can _still sound warm_ , Anna thought bitterly. Elsa turned to her with that blank stare from class back in place and Anna's ire grew further, that little green monster in the pit of her stomach fanning the flames and adding accelerant.

"Hi," Elsa said slightly awkwardly but still low and unaffected.

"Oh. Hi? Hi, me?" Anna said sarcastically. She caught the second warning look from her mother though and looked down at her Chucks and sighed, changing her tone and doing her best to temper the tiny, fire stoking troll in her gut. "Hi."

"Well," Gerda said, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen amongst the women. "Dinner is nearly ready and Agnarr is running a little late from the office, but he said to let you all eat and that he'd make it in time for the main course."

"Actually, Gerda, I'm rather tired. I think you may have been right about going skating today. Could I just - "

"You went ice skating today?" Iduna asked, the concern in her eyes returning.

"Oh Miss Elsa, I told you not to exert yourself," Gerda clucked.

"Agnarr said you'd quit."

"Your father will be most disappointed," Gerda said, placing a hand on Elsa's forehead as if she could somehow measure Elsa's fatigue the same way she could detect a fever.

"Do you need to lie down?" Iduna said, gently taking Elsa's chin and tilting it up to better see her face. Elsa recognized that look immediately.

_She knows? Of course. Papa must have told her,_ Elsa reflected. Sighing, she took a couple steps back and put up her hands defensively, gesturing for the two older women to back off a bit. "I'm fine, really. Just a bit tired."

"Wait, you quit skating?" Anna was completely perplexed by what just happened. Elsa was a natural born skater, she was destined to be an Olympian. There's no way she just suddenly quit, but yet another of Elsa's blank stares served as confirmation. "But why?!"

"No reason."

"The Olympics are only two years away. _Your_ Olympics," Anna stressed.

"I'm not going anymore."

"But you _love_ to skate!"

"Loved," Elsa shrugged, unsure if she was lying for everyone else's sake or more for her own.

"Oh right," Anna spat and just like a floating ember settling onto the adjacent golden hill during a parched California summer, the smoldering coals in her stomach suddenly reignited with a vengeance. Anna was usually a babbler, an artist at filling the silence with incessant prattle. An angry Anna, however, was succinct and destructive, a verbal sniper rifle loaded with hollow pointed rhetoric aimed at only one objective - to kill. "I forget how easy it is for you to take back your love."

_You deserved that,_ Elsa's most self-destructive inner voice sneered. Her stoic mask cracked momentarily as buildings and snowmen and friendship disintegrated, crumbling to dust under the anger in Anna's eyes. She tore her gaze from Anna, unable to look at her any further. _Mission accomplished. Isolation complete._

"Anna, that was uncalled for," Iduna said sternly.

"Whatever," she said, swiping at her eyes. To her annoyance, Anna's tear ducts were always activated when she was angry. She hated that crying was her natural reaction to any strong emotion, but anger was the biggest offender. She stalked off toward the dining room, growing further upset as the tears threatened to fall, overactive lacrimal glands belittling her fury.

* * *

" _Are these tears from pain or from anger?" Elsa asked softly. She let her gaze wander to the features of Anna's face and saw the tightness in the jawline, the redness behind the freckles, the small crease between the eyebrows. Anna always wore her emotions for everyone to witness, an open book of feelings and inner thoughts. Elsa decided it was anger. "Anna, you're going to have to calm down."_

" _I can't! I'm just so mad!" she answered, furiously wiping the tears from her cheeks. She felt Elsa adjust the ice pack resting on the knuckles of her right hand and hissed at the smarting pain. "Billy is such a jerk!"_

" _You didn't have to punch him."_

" _He's over acting! I didn't punch him that hard."_

" _The nurse said his nose is broken…"_

" _He made you_ cry _, Elsa!"_

" _I can fight my own battles."_

" _I know you can, but you don't have to do it alone. We'll fight_ our _battles together like we always do," Anna said and took her hand away from the ice pack in order to take Elsa's face in both her hands. "Besides, you would never have punched him. You'd beat him in a debate, but never with fists and we both know the only way to deal with a bully is with a show of strength. You're my sister and best friend. I will punch anyone who dares to upset you."_

" _Well, consider my honor defended, Sir Anna the Gallant," Elsa said with a smirk. She took Anna's hand back in hers and looked at the bruise blooming on the back of it before gently replacing the ice pack on top. "At least the swelling is going down. Now will you please hold still."_

" _You're not letting anything he said get to you, right?" Anna asked quietly after a moment of silence, noticing Elsa still had unshed tears in her eyes. Elsa just kept looking at her hands holding the compress to Anna's injured one. "Elsa, look at me."_

_Elsa sighed and met Anna's eyes. "I know none of it is true, but it doesn't make the words hurt any less."_

" _Well, everything he said_ was _true."_

" _Anna!"_

" _What? I've told you thousands of times that you're a bookworm nerd," Anna said loftily. She put the index finger of her uninjured hand under Elsa's chin to force her to look back at her after she turned downcast at Anna's comment. "But that's not a bad thing, Elsa. You're_ smart _. Practically a genius! You're going to do great things in this world like cure diseases or invent a machine that can create any chocolate treat you can imagine or…"_

" _Everything always comes back to chocolate with you," Elsa smiled._

" _Well, yeah. Like you, it's never let me down," Anna smirked before shaking her head. "What was I saying? I was making a point… It's just like me to get distracted by simply thinking about chocolate... Oh yeah! Billy Larkin is just an idiot boy who's jealous because he probably won't pass fifth grade. Thank goodness too. We won't have to deal with him anymore."_

_Elsa rolled her eyes. "We're going to Ahtohallan Prep next year. There's no boys allowed there. It doesn't matter whether or not he fails."_

" _Yeah, yeah. I know, but my point still stands - Billy Larkin has rocks for brains," Anna said, making a silly face which coaxed a giggle out of Elsa._

_A moment later, the door to the nurse's office opened and one of the assistants from the main office entered. "Your mothers are waiting for you in the Principal's office, girls."_

" _How much trouble do you think I'm in?" Anna gulped._

" _Whatever it is, I'll take your punishment with you," Elsa said, standing and pulling Anna up by her good hand.. Anna looked at her incredulously. "I can't let the brave knight fall on her sword. I am a sympathetic Queen after all."_

* * *

"Good! You're all here," Agnarr said as he sat down at the head of the dinner table, a smile reaching his eyes and showing pearly white teeth beneath his mustache.

"Father."

_Well at least that robot voice isn't only reserved for me,_ Anna thought, amusement building as she watched a grown man falter under the stare of a fourteen year old girl. He paused halfway through setting his napkin in his lap, wide eyes darting to Iduna as if asking what he's done or what he's supposed to do. Her mother only raised an eyebrow at him, silently telling him what was about to come was of his own doing.

"Do tell," Elsa continued at a measured pace. "Why didn't you brief me about this dinner? I would have appreciated a little warning."

"I thought that Gerda would tell you," Agnarr asked more than stated, pleading eyes searching Gerda's face as she came in from the kitchen and placed his meal in front of him.

"It was not my place to tell her your plans," she said with a slightly reproachful tone before heading back through to the kitchen.

"And why is it that Anna seemed to know she'd be meeting Mama Ida's boyfriend, who, as it happens, turns out to be you, but I wasn't even aware that you had been dating anyone?"

"Did I not mention it?" Agnarr said, mustache twitching slightly. "I intended to… Yes, about eight months ago when you started your -"

"EIGHT MONTHS!" Anna said

"Eight mo…" Elsa started at the same time. Her eyes flickered to Anna before looking between her godmother and dad. "How long has this been a thing?"

"Almost a year," Iduna answered.

"A YEAR!" Elsa and Anna shouted at the same time. They shared a look, each girl secretly saying 'jinx' in their head but not outwardly, before Elsa quickly averted her gaze.

"And I'm only learning this now?" Elsa said, turning her attention back to her dad. Hurt and betrayal began settling on her shoulders and a tightness rose like bile in her chest. She knew her dad to be an introspective and slightly aloof sort of man who felt awkward talking about his feelings, she'd inherited that trait from him after all, but this was unacceptable.

"Well, you know how busy I've been at work lately. I thought we had a conversation about it ages ago. Perhaps I had played the whole conversation in my head and then forgot to actually do it. That would be like me… You're sure I didn't tell you?"

"Quite," Elsa said curtly.

"Oh… Well for that I do apologize, sweetheart," Agnarr responded earnestly.

Elsa let out a quick sigh and nodded. "Though I'm still acutely peeved that I'm the only one at this table that was unaware we'd all be meeting tonight."

"I didn't know I was meeting _him_. Or _you_ ," Anna blurted. "I only knew I was supposed to meet… Wait. How did you know I was meeting my mom's boyfriend?"

"You told Ariel in class today."

"You were eavesdropping!?"

"It's hardly eavesdropping with the volume at which you two speak," Elsa said neutrally. _More half lies. You're getting very good at this._

Anna glared at her, mouth slightly agape and a blush rising on her freckled cheeks. "Then try harder not to listen in the future."

"I see the reunion is going well," Agnarr said with a smile to Iduna. "Has it been like this the whole time?"

"Only when they've decided to speak," Iduna said, returning his smile with a smirk reminiscent of a mischievous Anna. "They'd mostly remained silent throughout the soup and salad. Which, for Anna, was quite the change of pace."

"She was always the more verbal of the two. That I do remember."

"We'd appreciate it if you didn't speak about us as if we aren't sitting right here," Elsa uncharacteristically mumbled as she speared some roasted broccoli with her fork but didn't eat it.

"Don't speak as if there's still an _us_."

_Oh right. Old habits,_ Elsa thought as she raised an eyebrow in Anna's direction before looking back at her father. "Okay, you may speak about Anna as if she weren't sitting right here."

"You are such a -"

"Girls!" Iduna raised her voice slightly.

Elsa and Anna stopped their bickering once more under the glare from Iduna. Silence fell upon the table as everyone resumed eating. Well, everyone but Elsa. Anna watched with a frown as Elsa merely pushed her vegetables around her plate. She knew for a fact that Elsa enjoyed Gerda's roasted broccoli, so she suspected that Elsa was far more upset than her cold looks and monotone voice let on. Anna wasn't the only one to notice though.

"Are you not hungry, Elsa?" her father asked.

"I haven't much an appetite," Elsa said while rolling her shoulders back. "I'm rather tired, really. Do you think I might be excused?"

"She went skating today," Iduna said to Agnarr from across the table.

"You what?" Agnarr said with concern. "When did you… Did you take… What are your -"

"I'm fine, Papa," Elsa said, not bothering to answer any of his unfinished questions. "Really, I'm just tired."

Agnarr steadied his gaze on his daughter. Anna could see him taking a quick once over of Elsa and she was yet again confused as to why Elsa going skating was such a cause for concern. _Maybe she got injured? That must be why she quit just before the Olympic trials begin. It's the only explanation really._

"Okay, if you think that's best," Agnarr said after he finished his visual assessment.

Just as Elsa began pushing her chair back, Iduna addressed her. "Are you sure you don't want to stick it out for dessert? I asked Gerda to make her chocolate souffle tonight."

That froze Elsa where she stood, having just risen from her chair. She searched her godmother's face for the truth. Gerda only made her famous chocolate souffle for what she deemed to be the most special of occasions, which was essentially any of her four surrogate daughters' birthdays. After her mother died and Elsa pushed away Iduna and Anna, Elsa only got to have it on her own birthday. Was Mama Ida's and Anna's homecoming, as Gerda had put it earlier, a special enough occasion for the delicacy? The sincere look on Iduna's face told her yes and she made to sit back down.

"Oh, very industrious of you, dear," Agnarr chuckled.

"I saw this night playing out in many ways and I thought we'd need some sort of incentive that neither girl could pass on," Iduna replied. "Though, to be honest, every scenario I imagined where it would be used as bribery all had to do with Anna."

"That tracks," Anna said and she shoveled the remainder of her broccoli into her mouth. "I've fi-ished my foo. Ca I haf oofay ow?"

"No. You can have your souffle when everyone is ready for dessert. Please don't speak with your mouth full," Iduna said. Her tone was stern, but the little laugh lines around her eyes gave her away. "And chew."

Anna looked across the table to see Elsa finally eating some of her broccoli, but she could have sworn she saw a smile before Elsa opened up for the fork. Anna shook her head, she was probably imagining things as usual. She quickly chewed her mouthful of broccoli and washed it down with the chocolate milk Gerda had served to her without needing to ask. Some things really don't change.

"So… how did you two become… this?" Anna asked, gesturing between her mom and Elsa's dad.

"We reconnected at the Fall Orchestra Concert your school had last year," Agnarr started.

Elsa's head snapped to attention. She looked at Iduna with questioning eyes. Elsa didn't remember seeing her at that concert.

"I saw in the school newsletter that you had been chosen for a solo piece as first cello and wanted to see you play. I didn't want to push you though, so I sat in the back," Iduna explained quietly. "You were elegant and beautiful up on stage."

"I saw her leaving the auditorium and caught her while I was waiting for you at the end of the show," Agnarr said. "I could tell that she missed you, but she said you'd asked for your space. So I invited her out for coffee the next day just to catch her up on your life, and in turn she could catch me up on Anna's."

"Why?" Anna scoffed. She didn't realize until all eyes turned to her that she'd asked that out loud. "Sorry if that came out rude."

"Not at all, and to answer your question - because I'd always been fond you. I know that sounds strange since I wasn't around much when you two were younger. I admit that I was a bit of a workaholic. My research is very important and it's hard for me to turn it off sometimes, but I do remember two rambunctious girls that made each other and their mothers happy. I particularly remember one feisty little girl who taught my Elsa how to be brave one day in the tide pools at Half Moon Bay," Agnarr answered with a gentle smile. "When I saw your mother at Elsa's concert, I realized that it had been a while since I'd seen you over here. Now, I'm not sure what happened between you two. Admittedly, I'm just as much a workaholic now as I was before Jules passed. I'm afraid Elsa is alone in this big house more often than not so I was curious what was keeping you away."

"It was strange at first, our coffee dates. Jules had always been there to be a buffer. We'd hardly had any interactions just the two of us despite the longevity of our friendship. However, we still had common ground - you two and Jules," Iduna continued. She and Agnarr shared a smile that was both happy and melancholic. "But it was familiar, comforting even. Over time, our conversations became less about you girls and more about each other. Until one day, without any fanfare but with just as much surprise, we realized we were, as you said, Anna… this."

Anna nodded and chanced a glance at Elsa. The blonde was looking down at her plate, once again simply pushing the food around it instead of eating it and something Agnarr had said registered in her mind. Now that she thought about it, she never saw Elsa interacting with any of the other girls at school. She ate lunch alone, she didn't do any sports or clubs. _She's been alone in this house for years and completely isolated herself_ , Anna thought.

The smell of chocolate suddenly filled the room as Gerda wheeled in a cart carrying individual souffles for each of them. Anna watched as Gerda took Elsa's half eaten meal and replaced it with her dessert. Elsa's eyes lit up and the tiniest smile graced her face as she thanked Gerda. An inexplicable sadness washed through Anna as she saw a glimpse of the Elsa she once knew. Gerda dropped off a souffle with her mother before stopping next to her.

"Welcome home, Miss Anna," Gerda said softly as she placed the souffle in front of her.

"Thank you, Gerda," Anna said, looking up to the matronly woman. Gerda gave her a quick kiss on the crown of her head before heading to give the final dessert to Agnarr.

Silence reigned once more as everyone dug into the warm richness of Gerda's signature dessert. Iduna softly cleared her throat but no one paid her any mind.

"Ahem," Iduna said again, looking pointedly at Agnarr who looked up questioningly. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yes, dear?"

"Wasn't there something else we wanted to say?" Iduna said with a roll of her eyes.

"What?... Oh! Yes… Um, well… So girls, there's one more thing," Agnarr said and waited for both girls to acknowledge that he was speaking to them. Once he had their attention he put his spoon down. "Gerda has approached me about her possible retirement." There was silence again as he paused to gauge the girls' reactions, but he had to admit that he hadn't a clue how to read them. "She wants to go home to Norway. Kai has family there that they would like to be closer to at this point in their lives."

Anna had no idea what to say. She wasn't sure at all what this even had to do with her, so Anna reverted to her default whenever she was stumped - she looked at Elsa. The other girl appeared to be having an internal battle behind her indifferent mask.

"That seems fair," Elsa broke the silence with a quiet voice. "She raised mom and Mama Ida and then Anna and me. If that's what she wants, she should go home."

Elsa's words sounded logical to the outside observer. Anna, however, took in the way Elsa's eyes appeared distant as if she were doing complicated mental math, the slight up-tilt of her left brow, the way her fingers fiddled with her spoon. Anna found it curious that she could still read the subtleties of Elsa's mannerisms after all this time and when Elsa was obviously trying hard to hide them. She doubted she'd ever stop being able to read it all, and right now it was telling her that this was not something Elsa was okay with.

"You're upset," Anna said matter-of-factly.

_How can she still see through me?_ Elsa thought. She looked down at would could possibly be her last ever of Gerda's chocolate souffle. "It would be selfish of me to deny Gerda her opportunity to retire. And I'm old enough to care for myself."

"Ah, about that…" Agnarr said, clearly apprehensive. He looked at Iduna for help.

"We've talked about it a lot. Considered all the pros and cons," Iduna started.

"I'm going to be even busier at work. Our newest drug is moving into the next phase of clinical trials very soon -"

"And the distance from our apartment in the City is quite far from both my office and your school," Iduna said to Anna.

"And with Gerda gone, Elsa, we'd need help. Getting you to school, taking you to your thera -"

"Please just get to your point," Elsa said frantically, eyes flickering to Anna.

Agnarr looked once more at Iduna and took a deep breath. "I've asked Iduna to move in here with Anna."

Silence.

"WHAT!?" Both girls shouted, chocolate souffles forgotten in an instant.


	7. Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen nor its characters, nor do I own any characters from other Disney works. Disney owns everything - including my heart, soul, and wallet.

* * *

_Where is that photo of us in the kitchen?_

She was scrolling through hundreds of digitized photos she'd scanned and stored on an external drive years ago. Panic began to set in as she glanced at the clock and noticed it was nearly four in the afternoon. Her acceptance speech was only about a third written and she was desperately looking for a specific picture. She let out a breath of relief as she double clicked on a file and up popped a picture of two little girls covered in melted chocolate, the kitchen around them much in the same state. It had just been copied into her slide deck when there was another knock on her office door and she heard it crack open.

"Yes, Gemma?"

"No, it's me," came an amused voice from the door.

"Hi, Dad," she said as she looked up, a wide smile across her face. She stood and walked around her desk to give him a kiss on the cheek. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just making sure you're not forgetting about your big shindig tonight. I got quite the earful from my wife this morning about making sure you left yourself enough time to get ready. I said, 'she's a grown woman, Iduna. I think she knows how to manage herself,'" Agnarr said with a hearty chuckle. He took a quick glance at her still in her pantsuit and the chaos across the desk before he sighed. "But I see she yet again has bested me in parental instincts."

"Mother's intuition is a real superpower," she said with a shrug. "And I'm going to get ready soon! I'm just… finishing up my speech. Speaking of which - have you written yours already?"

"Got it right here," he said while patting his left breast pocket. "Nothing embarrassing, I promise."

"I wasn't worried about that."

"You _are_ worried about something though," he said with a knowing look.

 _Everyone always seems to see right through me,_ she thought. "It's just… this speech. I haven't given a speech in so long. What if I completely freeze? Or worse! What if I accidentally say a bad word? Or cry? Or burp?"

Agnarr guffawed boisterously. "You'll be fine. It's just a little acceptance speech. You've given plenty of speeches to the troops here at ArenTech Genetics since I've retired."

"That's different though," she said. Her shoulders deflated and she rubbed her temples from stress. "Here, I'm in my element. I know the people, the company, the science… everything. This speech though? They want me to talk about my motivations to develop Cryonyx. Talking about myself and about… trying to talk about her…"

She trailed off and he looked at her sympathetically. He pulled her into a tight hug and rubbed comforting circles between her shoulder blades.

"I especially miss her today. So much," she said.

"Me too. As we should. If she could see what you've grown up to be, though… She would be _so proud_ of you, darling."

She could feel the tears starting to spill over and pulled out of the hug, afraid of ruining his outfit. She gave him a once over. He looked quite dashing in his classic tuxedo. The greying along his sideburns and slight dusting of white throughout his mustache was getting more prominent, giving him a weathered sort of look. She was struck by how much older he was than what she usually imagined in her head, but he didn't look old, just distinguished.

"You look very handsome," she said. She flicked a finger under his chin. "And I like the snowflake bowtie."

"Don't touch it! It took me a very long time to tie it," he said with a little panic to his voice, making her chuckle and Agnarr joined in after a moment. When they quieted, he gave her a huge smile and she was startled to see his eyes begin to shine. "I am so proud of you, sweetheart."

"Thank you, Dad," she said, returning his smile with her perfect, brilliant white one. "But no more crying, please!"

"I know, I know," he said with another laugh. "I just… I think about how far you've come and I can't help it. I am proud to call you my daughter."

"Not as proud as I am to call you Papa," she said, trying to hold in tears of her own for a second time within minutes.

"Ok - now finish up that speech and get ready. There will be plenty of time for us to get all sappy later," he said lightheartedly. "And do _not_ be late, or else I'll be sleeping on the couch in my office tonight."

"There are so many guest bedrooms at the Manor. You don't have to sleep on a couch."

"She'd make me sleep on a couch," he said sullenly.

 _That's probably true_ , she thought as she laughed gently at his remark. She gave him one more kiss on the cheek before he departed. Sitting back behind her desk, she looked again at the picture on the screen of two mischievous little girls and smiled. _Now, where was I?_


	8. Patience Profits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen nor its characters, nor do I own any characters from other Disney works. Disney owns everything - including my heart, soul, and wallet.

* * *

_Anna was unpacking the small box she refused to allow the moving people to touch, holding it in her lap instead on the last trip away from their Hayes Valley apartment. She placed several small items around the desk and nightstand until she came to the last treasure - a framed picture of Elsa and herself building a snowman. The frame had half a heart on the left side, the etching of "Friends" had been crossed out with a permanent marker long ago and "Sisters" was written above it in an untidy scrawl. She glanced through her open doorway to the closed bedroom across the hall and wondered if Elsa still had the matching frame with the same picture, the jagged edges of each half-heart fitting together._

_Anna had just placed the framed photo into the top drawer of her desk when she heard knock. She turned to see Agnarr standing in her doorway holding two bottles of water. He looked tentative, shy even. He shuffled his feet slightly before clearing his throat._

" _May I come in?"_

" _It's your house," Anna said with a shrug._

" _This is your room, Anna. You're welcome to refuse if you wish," he responded, eyebrows pulling together. "And it's not like you're a guest here. This is your home too and I hope it can feel that way… again."_

_She was unsure what to say. He was right, there was a time when Anna had considered this home. She had always loved the Manor as a child and had spent just as much time here as she did at the apartment. Iduna was a single mother and often entrusted Anna's care to Gerda. When Mama Jules had gotten sick, she decided that spending time with her daughter and goddaughter was more important than a career and gave it up. Iduna and Anna had all but moved into the Manor to be close to her. Relatively, it wasn't very long ago that she would have given anything to permanently live in this room across from Elsa._

" _Your mother and Elsa seemed to have unpacking the kitchen stuff under control, so I thought I'd bring you a water," Agnarr pushed again._

He's trying. Don't be a jerk just because you're frustrated with Elsa, _she chastised internally. She took the water before sitting on the edge of her bed. Agnarr stood hesitantly in the doorway so she made a quick nod toward her desk chair. He took the hint and sat down. An awkward quiet fell between the two of them. She tried to think back to a time that they'd ever really had a conversation. Anna could remember him being around sporadically during her childhood, but she couldn't come up with a specific interaction that stood out._

" _It's exactly like I remember it," she said, unable to stand the silence any longer and gestured about the room. For some reason, the statement made Agnarr chuckle._

" _It would be, of course," he said and took a swig of water. Anna sent him a confused look. "Elsa made sure of it. She was in quite a state when I tried to change it once."_

" _She… what?"_

" _I feel guilty about trying to convert this room in retrospect. I should have consulted the women of the house first. Hindsight and all that," Agnarr said as he fiddled with the bottle cap. "You see, I had wanted to build Elsa her own study for her thirteenth birthday. She spends so much time in her bedroom shut away from the world and I thought she might appreciate another space to work. I chose this room as it's conveniently across from her bedroom. While she was at the skating rink one day, I had workers come in and move this all out. I planned everything - built-in bookcases, large desk, a soundproofing wall in case she decided to practice her music here… the works really._

" _When she came home and saw that all your stuff was downstairs…" Agnarr's eyes widened at the memory of Elsa's fury. He'd never seen such a rampage, like a swirling storm of outrage and despair. His daughter was calm, poised, and reasonable; emotions always in check. She had barely cried when Jules died, bottling up everything inside instead. Watching her completely lose it had scared him on many levels. He shook his head and sighed. "I've seen Elsa throw a fit before. It was a rare occurrence, but it happened. This, however… Elsa had raged. A tantrum of epic proportions. 'Put it all back,' she kept yelling. 'This is Anna's room and I want you to put it all back!'"_

" _I don't get it," Anna said after a beat, completely baffled. "I hadn't been here in, like... two years by then. Why would she even care about my room?" The question was mostly rhetorical and self posed. She had convinced herself long ago that Elsa no longer cared about_ her _let alone the stuff she'd left behind in this room. What would it matter to Elsa that this room changed?_

" _You've always been important to her, Anna. Even if right now she doesn't show it. Elsa's just… she's working through some things," he said softly. He suddenly got a distant look in his eyes and the silence fell again._

Working through what things? _Anna thought as she glanced back across the hall as if the snowflake door could tell her the answers._

" _It's lucky that Gerda still kept your room in order. I think she always hoped you'd be back in it one day," Agnarr continued, trying at a lighter tone. "Between Gerda and Elsa, and their angry looks toward me, we were able to put everything back exactly as it had been and I had her study built in a room next to my office."_

" _The guest bedroom with the periwinkle walls?"_

" _Yeah. How did you know?"_

" _Elsa always liked the color of that room," she said with a shrug._

_Agnarr nodded and smiled at Anna. "Well, I'll let you get back to it. Let me know if you need any help putting things up?"_

" _Okay. Thanks," she told him as he exited._

_Anna opened up one of the boxes stacked next to the door and started hanging the clothes in the closet, mulling over the recent conversation in her head. She looked about the room once more, trying to imagine what it had looked like for the short time it was emptied out. For reasons Anna couldn't figure out, Elsa had wanted Anna's room to stay the way it was. It made no sense, but it gave her a hope that she'd long ago tried to abandon; if only to shield her own heart from the piercing cold she felt from Elsa's absence. She walked over to her desk and pulled the framed photo out of its drawer. Anna admired it for a moment before propping it up on her nightstand._

* * *

"Anna Rae Noruldra!"

Anna nearly jumped out of her skin and was abruptly torn out of her own little world. She found Ariel staring at her, red in the face. Anna's eyes darted to Rapunzel whose eyebrows were knitted in concern. "Wha… what?"

"I've been trying to get your attention for, like, five minutes! I was asking you what it's been like living with the Ice Queen. You've been there almost two months now and you have yet to divulge anything," Ariel said. She was clearly annoyed, Ariel had a complex about being ignored and not being in the know. Anna was sure it had everything to do with being the youngest of seven girls. She wondered how long she'd been lost in her own thoughts to make Ariel so upset.

"Oh… I mean, there's really nothing to tell. Elsa mostly stays in her room or works in her study," Anna said. It was mostly true. Iduna and Anna had spent the last two weeks of August, with the help of Agnarr, Elsa, and a team of movers, transferring their entire lives out of their apartment and into the Manor. About two weeks after moving in, Gerda and Kai moved home to Norway and the four remaining occupants quickly settled into their new way of life. Now it was approaching Halloween in a few days, but Anna still hardly saw much of Elsa.

Sure - they shared the bathroom closest to their rooms (sometimes getting ready for school or bed at the same time at their double sink), they had dinner together most nights (except when Elsa claimed to be too tired), and they rode to and from school together (except the few times Elsa's dad picked her up for appointments she had). What she didn't say was that she'd taken to leaving her bedroom door open most of the time to catch whenever Elsa went in and out of her bedroom.

" _Hey, Elsa."_

" _Hello."_

It took nearly two weeks to get the one word response out of Elsa.

"Boring… fine. I'm over it," Ariel said, flipping her bright red hair back. "Anyway, did you ladies hear that Jasmine is dating one of the South Isle Prep boys? Some hotshot on their track team. I think his name is Al. Apparently no one can catch him and he's great at jumping hurdles... wins all his races…"

Anna stopped listening again and sneaked a glance over at Elsa's usual lunch table on the sunny side of the Quad. Like most days, Elsa had her nose in a book. Today, though, instead of a large textbook, it looked like Elsa was reading the book Ms. Beaufort gave them for their partner project. Guilt washed through her when she realized she hadn't even bothered to take that book out of her backpack once.

" _Hey, Elsa."_

" _Hello."_

" _Mama says dinner will be ready at six."_

" _Okay, thank you."_

That took another two weeks.

"Ridiculous, right?... Anna?"

"Uh huh," she said reflexively.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ariel nearly shouted. Anna jumped again at the sudden outburst and knocked her water bottle off the picnic table. Thankfully the lid was closed, but from the sound of it, she was sure she'd broken the vacuum seal on yet another HydroFlask.

"Ariel…" Rapunzel started but was cut off.

"I just shared my juiciest bit of gossip, and all you have to say is 'uh huh?' You've been so out of it lately, Anna, and I'm getting really tired of it. You've been distant and flighty. I just… I miss my damn friend, but you can't pull your head out of your own ass long enough to even see it!" She looked at Anna, almost daring her to come up with an excuse for her odd behavior. People were starting to look now, but Anna just sat there with a stunned expression. Ariel suddenly stood up in a huff. "Forget it! Give me a call when you decide you can spare your best friend a moment of your time."

Ariel gathered her things and stormed off, Anna and Rapunzel gaping in her wake. Anna looked back down at her half eaten lunch. _Have I been distant?_ She thought to herself. It's true that Anna had been a little preoccupied with trying to… whatever it was she was trying to do, but at what cost? Was she doing to Ariel what Elsa did to her?

"Am I a bad friend, Rapunzel?" she asked quietly and looked up to her friend's face. Anna was relieved to see sympathy behind Rapunzel's eyes.

"No," Rapunzel said reassuringly. She offered Anna a small smile. "You've just got a lot going on, and Ariel… Well, Ariel has always been a little self absorbed. Her heart's usually in the right place, so I've learned to overlook it. Sometimes though, she can't see past the tip of her perfect little nose."

"She's got a point though," Anna lamented. "I have been neglecting you both lately. Everything's just been kind of - "

"No, Anna. Really, it's fine. You don't have to explain yourself," Rapunzel offered. "I get it. You were thrust into this really crazy situation. I mean, it's pretty messed up of your parents to do this to you and Elsa. It's a lot to throw at a couple teenagers just starting high school, even without the history you two share. Throw all that in… there was going to be some give in your life somewhere. It just happened to be with us. I know it's only for now. I think Ariel's just feeling insecure."

"Insecure? About what?"

"That you'll dump her for Elsa."

"WHAT? I wouldn't… I mean… It would be a lie to say I don't want to be friends with Elsa again, but that doesn't mean I'd stop being her friend or yours!"

" _I_ know that," Rapunzel said. "And I'm sure Ariel knows that too under all the angst. Just… let her cool off. She'll come around."

Anna considered it and nodded. "Thanks, 'Zel."

"Of course, sweetie," she responded as the lunch bell rang. "Come on. I'll walk with you to class on my way to the art studio."

* * *

_Second grade was turning out to be the hardest yet. Only a month in and Elsa and Anna were ready for it to be over. It was the first year that they had been placed in separate homeroom classes. At back to school night, when Anna was directed to Mr. Carter's room and Elsa to Mrs. Moran's, the girls were confused; as were their mothers. Neither pair of best friends had anticipated this situation. When it proved that Jules and Iduna would be unable to switch one of them into the other's class, the girls were distraught. Completely inconsolable._

" _This will be good for them," Mrs. Maple, the school counselor, had said when she was called in after the mothers stormed the Vice Principal's office. "They have a highly co-dependent relationship that hinders them from making friends with the other children."_

_And so the mothers had relented._

_So far, it was proving to be more detrimental than beneficial for everyone involved. Without Elsa to talk her down, Anna was much more disruptive, chattering constantly during class, and volatile, resorting to fisticuffs more times this year already than her prior elementary career combined. Elsa on the other hand was completely unfocused and her grades suffered. The usually studious girl was continually found daydreaming, simply counting the minutes until recess when she could be reunited with Anna._

" _Ugh… it's like everyday recess feels like it comes slower," Anna whined after they met on the blacktop and shared a quick hug._

_Elsa chuckled. "It would go faster if you paid attention to the teacher."_

" _Oh yeah?" Anna challenged. "And what did you learn this morning?"_

" _I don't know. I wasn't paying attention," Elsa said. Both girls started laughing uncontrollably, doubled over in stitches. They didn't even notice the girl with bright red hair approach them._

" _Hey, Anna! What's so funny?"_

" _Oh. Hi, Ariel," Anna said, quieting down from her jovial state quickly. A small frown crept onto her face. "Nothing really."_

_Elsa raised her eyebrows at Anna. It was unlike her best friend to act so… well, mean. Especially not to someone who, as far as she knew, had done nothing wrong._

" _Oh, okay! See you in class," the girl said and she ran off to play elsewhere._

" _Who was that?" Elsa asked, watching the girl meet up with other kids she knew to be from Anna's homeroom class._

" _Ariel. She's new," Anna said, frown deepening and voice coming out in a tone so low it was nearly a growl. "She started last week. Her family moved here from Florida."_

" _I see… And why don't we like her?"_

" _She keeps trying to be my friend." Anna said through gritted teeth, fists balling up at her sides and the small crease between her brows appearing. All classic signs of a frustrated Anna._

" _What's wrong with that?" Elsa said, genuinely confused - cocking her head to the side, chin tilting slightly up to her right._

" _On her first day, she came up to me and said, 'Hey, I think we're going to be best friends... '"_

" _She did not!" Elsa sent a glare in the girl's direction now too._

" _I know! And I told her, 'I already have a best friend,' and she just said, 'you can have more than one best friend…'"_

" _No you can't! Then it wouldn't be_ best, _" Elsa said, starting to understand Anna's ire._

" _I KNOW! And I said that, but she's soooo sure," Anna said. She'd started pacing, fists tucked firmly to her sides as she did. Elsa could see the situation growing out of hand quickly. Taking a breath, she thought about what their mothers had talked to them about just before the school year officially started._

" _Anna, it's okay," Elsa said gently. "Maybe you should try to be her friend?"_

" _What?!"_

_Elsa held up her hands in front of her, indicating to Anna to remain calm. "Just a regular friend."_

" _I don't need other friends, Elsa. I have you," Anna said. She stopped her pacing and turned to Elsa, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly._

" _And you'll always have me," Elsa said. "But it's okay to have other people too."_

_Anna's face suddenly fell and Elsa was confused by the sad, defeated look in her best friend's eyes. Anna looked at her feet, kicking at some pebble on the ground. All classic signs of an Anna on the verge of sad tears. Elsa watched her take a breath before whispering. "Do you have other people?"_

" _What? No!" Elsa said and she pulled Anna into a tight hug. "But our mamas did tell us to try making some other friends and we promised that we would. Ariel could be yours."_

_Elsa felt Anna deflate against her as she let out a big sigh. When they ended their hug, Anna wiped at her cheeks and gave Elsa a smile. "Fine. I'll be friendlier to Ariel."_

" _Good!" Elsa said before adding. "But only friendly! Not_ best _friendly."_

" _Duh," Anna said with a huge grin. "You want to go play hopscotch?"_

" _Sure!" Elsa responded. As they walked over to the painted boxes on the blacktop, she thought again over how quickly Anna turned sad at the thought of her having other friends. Elsa took her hand to stop her. Anna turned, a confused look on her face. "You know I love you, right?"_

" _I know… I was just being silly I guess," Anna said smiling sweetly, they continued walking over to the hopscotch court. "How much though?"_

" _I don't understand your question," Elsa said with a frown._

" _How_ much _do you love me?"_

How does someone measure love? _Elsa thought to herself. She carefully considered her answer. Anna waited patiently as she looked for a couple of rocks to use for their game. Elsa finally decided to speak in the one language that Anna would truly understand._

" _So much that I promise to always share half of my chocolate with you whenever we're together for the rest of my life," Elsa said firmly as she pulled two foil wrapped chocolate kisses from her pocket and held one out for Anna to take._

" _Whoa. That's a whole lot," was Anna's whispered response._

* * *

Elsa couldn't concentrate on her homework. She knew that Anna was in her room, likely sulking from her bad day and the pain her friend was causing her. Elsa had looked up during lunch when a loud, tinny sound of metal hitting concrete echoed across the Quad, and saw that Anna and Ariel were having some sort of spat. She was startled, however, to see Ariel shoot a nasty glare at her as she stormed away from Anna and Rapunzel. Elsa was quite unsure what she could have possibly done to deserve such a look. She had hardly said two words to the girl since maybe fourth grade.

Ariel had already been in the room when Elsa got to English Lit after that. The fight was confirmed when Anna arrived and Elsa heard a loud thump somewhere behind her. She turned to see that Ariel had quickly thrown her bag into Anna's usual seat beside her, forcing Anna to take the only seat that was usually unoccupied during this class - the one on Elsa's right. She could see Anna in her periphery the entire period, shoulders hunched and not paying attention. And Anna's mood did not improve when they got home.

Since the move, Anna had been consistently trying to get Elsa to warm up to her - she'd ramble incessantly while they waited for their ride home, she would catch Elsa as she made her way through the Manor, she'd try to get Elsa to talk about her day at the dinner table.

" _I know what you're doing and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop."_

" _Nope."_

" _What do you mean 'nope'?"_

" _Exactly what it sounds like. I'm not giving up this time," Anna said before stepping right up to her face with a smirk and whispered. "I know your secret."_

Panic. _"And what's that might I ask?"_

" _You still care."_

That was five weeks ago.

And Elsa was finding it harder and harder to keep her distance. She'd made small concessions here and there - a passing hello, a goodnight when they left their shared vanity. Little moments in hopes that Anna would eventually be satisfied with their new relationship, but it just encouraged her more.

Except today.

Today, Anna was silent while they waited in front of the school, Iduna having run a little late from the office. She said nothing during the entire car ride home and went straight to her room. Iduna tried asking Elsa if something had happened at school, but Elsa wasn't sure if she should tell her Mama Ida or if she should let Anna do it on her own. She opted to shrug and said she'd be doing her homework until dinner. And now Elsa was sitting in her study, trying to focus on her AP Comparative Government homework, but the weight over her heart was pulling her down. She had once told Anna that she'd always try to take her pain away, and the guilt of not trying felt heavy.

"Forget it!" Elsa said as she slammed her Macbook closed and took deep calming breaths. She would try writing the paper for Mr. Weselton's class later; it wasn't due for another week anyway. Instead, she grabbed her copy of _Sense and Sensibility_ and headed to her room to lie down while reading.

"Hey, Elsa," came Anna's voice through her open bedroom door, though it didn't sound as light as usual. Elsa shook her head slightly, no matter how quiet she was, Anna always seemed to know she was approaching.

"Hello," Elsa said and waited for Anna's next line in this dance around their tentative friendship that had been established over the last couple months. It didn't come, though. Anna hadn't even glanced up from her text book. She was lying prone on her bed doing what looked like Geometry homework. The silence was unsettling, which was a new feeling for Elsa. Gathering her courage, Elsa continued their conversation. "Mama Ida said it's spaghetti for dinner tonight."

Anna's pencil stopped moving halfway through a calculation. She blinked and looked up at Elsa.

"Okay. Thank you," she quietly responded.

Dinner was particularly lackluster. Iduna and Agnar had tried making conversation, but without Anna's lively input, talk fell by the wayside. Immediately afterward, Anna stalked up to her room and shut the door. Elsa was desperately trying to ignore the pull to knock on Anna's door and cheer her up. The clock on her bedside table said it was after ten o'clock, but she was lying wide awake. With a huff, she quietly slipped out of her room and headed down into the kitchen to wallow in something sweet.

She was sitting in the dark at the island counter when Anna shuffled into the kitchen not bothering to turn on the light. Elsa was temporarily blinded by the light in the freezer when Anna pulled it open; blinking quickly as her eyes adjusted. She saw that Anna had tear streaks on her face and felt the disappointment radiating from Anna when she didn't see what she wanted.

 _She's hurting. Do something._ And like thin ice under a skater's blade, Elsa's resolve to keep her distance shattered under the weight of her guilt.

"Looking for the chocolate ice cream?"

Anna jumped a foot in the air and spun around. "Holy fu… What the hell, Elsa? Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Language," Elsa raised her eyebrow at Anna. "And I've been here the whole time."

"Ugh… my heart is beating so fast," Anna said through labored breathing, ignoring Elsa's comment and placing a hand over her chest while leaning on the counter. She let the freezer door close and both girls were engulfed in darkness again. "I think I'm dying."

"Don't be so dramatic." Elsa reached over to the oven from her bar stool to turn on the dim light above the stove. She pulled another spoon out of the drawer next to her and held it out to Anna who didn't notice at first, still doubled over the counter trying to catch her breath. Elsa cleared her throat softly and Anna looked up and eyed her. Warily, she took the spoon while Elsa scooted down a stool so that they sat on each side of the counter's corner and then pushed the carton of ice cream in between them. They sat quietly for a couple minutes, eating the chocolaty treat directly out of the carton. Anna usually hated the silence, but Elsa and quiet went hand in hand so Anna found it comforting.

"You're fighting with Ariel?"

Anna noticed it wasn't really a question. "Yeah."

"Do you… want to talk about it?"

 _You cannot force your presence upon a fawn,_ Anna thought. _Mama was right - patience._

"There's nothing to talk about really. She's just… being Ariel."

"I don't know what that means," Elsa said.

"Rapunzel thinks that… it's silly really… but Rapunzel thinks Ariel is jealous," Anna said.

"Of what?" Elsa asked sincerely, cocking her head in typical Elsa fashion when she was considering something deeply, chin tilted slightly up and to her right.

"Of you," Anna said softly. Elsa's brows furrowed deeply. "Rapunzel said Ariel has been feeling insecure since I moved in here; that Ariel thinks we'll finally make up and she'll be tossed to the wayside once it happens."

 _Oh, this old thing again. I guess some things never change,_ Elsa thought. "And would you? Toss her aside?"

"No!"

"Did you tell her that?"

"She didn't give me a chance to get a word in."

"I don't remember that ever stopping you before," Elsa said. Anna was at a loss for words. She opened her mouth a few times in an attempt to say something before she sighed and went back to mindlessly spooning ice cream into her mouth.

"You could tell her the truth."

"Which is?"

"That I was the one who originally told you to be her friend," Elsa said. "That _even if_ we were friends again, there would be no reason for you two to stop being friends as well. It's okay to have other people."

 _Yeah, but I only ever needed you_ , Anna stopped herself from saying aloud. Instead, she scoffed, distant memories of a similar conversation echoing from years ago. "Second grade was the worst."

"Indeed it was," Elsa commented back with the smallest smile. Anna barely caught it in the dim light that back lit the blonde.

"Mrs. Maple learned her lesson though. She never tried separating us again," Anna said, feeling the warmth of nostalgia flow through her. "Not that our moms would let her try. I'm surprised they didn't anticipate Mama Jules' devious plans to influence the rest of our class placements when she bought the school all those computers."

"Well, Mama Ida was the harsh one during the end of first semester student-parent-teacher conferences that year," Elsa said. "'The girls are not thriving! What kind of counselor are you to not see it?'"

"'So help me, I will have you removed!'" they whisper-shouted at the same time before giving into fits of silent, controlled laughter, hoping not to wake their parents. When they finally gathered themselves, the quiet fell around them again.

"Well, I've had my fill," Elsa said as she stood. Now satisfied that she'd alleviated some of Anna's distress, she was feeling rather tired. "Goodnight, Anna."

"G'night… Hey, Elsa," Anna called before Elsa could leave the kitchen. "Thanks for cheering me up."

"I don't like it when you hurt," Elsa said reflexively before she could stop herself. It wasn't until she turned back around and met Anna's eyes that it registered what she'd just admitted. Elsa watched in dismay as a knowing smirk slowly crept across Anna's face.

"I knew you still cared."


	9. Proof

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen nor its characters, nor do I own any characters from other Disney works. Disney owns everything - including my heart, soul, and wallet.

* * *

" _I really have no idea, little duck. You know math and I have never gotten along," Iduna said as she stirred the stew boiling away in the pot on the stove. She took a small taste before grabbing another pinch of salt and throwing it into the mix. Iduna heard a dramatic sigh and a solid thunk behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Anna was lying face down on her text book in defeat. "Elsa took this subject last year, didn't she? Why don't you go ask her for help?"_

_She walked over to Anna's current study area at the counter as her daughter threw her arms over the back of her head and mumbled something incoherent._

" _Try that again, Anna, but this time without a mouth full of your math textbook."_

_Anna let out yet another heavy sigh before picking her head up, over exaggerating the effort it took. "I said Elsa won't open her door for me. She'll just tell me to go away… If she says anything at all."_

" _I could have sworn you two were making progress?" Iduna said with a frown. "Or was I imagining that you two had snuck downstairs to eat ice cream at almost midnight?"_

" _We didn't sneak down together. She happened to already be down here when I decided I wanted… Wait. You caught us?"_

" _Mother's intuition is a real superpower," Iduna responded. "But I decided to let you two have your moment."_

_It had been over a week since the late night ice cream encounter and Elsa had taken to brushing her off with a simple 'go away, Anna' whenever she knocked since then. Anna had been shocked the first time she heard it come through Elsa's closed door, but mostly she was upset at herself for coming on too strong that night. She just had to go and open her big mouth instead of letting Elsa come to her instead. Anna could tell from the look of panic on Elsa's face after she had called her out on still caring that they'd taken several steps backward in an instant despite all the progress they'd made since she'd moved into the Manor._

" _I pushed too hard that night," Anna said dejectedly. "I went classic Anna and got overly excited that I'd broken through to her, and now I'm back at square one."_

" _I don't think it's square one, Anna. At least you two aren't fighting," her mother responded before placing a kiss on top of Anna's head. She walked back to the stove to give the pot another stir. "But if you really need help with that homework, I can't give it to you. I know Elsa can. It's worth a try."_

_Anna nodded, knowing that her mother was right. She stuck her loose binder paper into the textbook to keep her place and slid her pencil behind her ear. Anxiety built up with each step up the grand staircase and down the hall toward the snowflake decorated door. The rejection she'd been getting from Elsa stung worse this time, and she cursed herself for getting so close to breaking down Elsa's walls only to have them rebuilt faster and stronger than ever. Anna wasn't sure how long she'd stood outside the door before she finally summoned the courage to raise a fist._

_Knock. Knock. Knock-knock. Knock._

" _Elsa?... Elsa, please? I know you're in there. I… I really need help with this Geometry homework and my mom's clueless and your dad is still at work. I can't call Ariel because she's still not talking to me and Rapunzel is just as bad at math as Mama is and… I can't fail the test this week or else I'm off the cheer squad and I just…" Anna trailed off and waited a beat. She shook her head in defeat and chastised herself quietly. "Forget it. What were you even thinking, Anna?"_

_She turned to go into her room when she heard the knob turn. Anna glanced back to see Elsa stepping through the doorway before shutting it closed behind her._

" _Is it proofs?"_

* * *

"Miss Arendelle! Since it seems below you to even feign any semblance of attention due to what I can only assume is a wealth of knowledge on the subject, perhaps you could enlighten the class on how the Parliamentary system in Britain may have influenced our own US Constitution?" Mr. Weselton sneered, a smug smile smeared across his pointed face.

Elsa took a deep breath. She loathed this small, small man; despised everything about him from his bad toupee and obviously lifted shoes right down to his clear disdain for every girl that ever walked through these halls. If there were more choices in advanced history courses to take that year, she would have chosen one not taught by him. Unfortunately, they were all taught by him.

"We're all waiting with bated breath," Mr. Weselton continued his condescension, sarcasm and antagonism lacing his tone. When Elsa appeared to be at a loss, he seemed extremely pleased with himself. "Nothing? Well it would seem I've stumped the school's prodigal genius with a simple…"

"There are innumerable ways the Parliamentary system of Britain has influenced the US government. Without diving deeply into the obvious attributes that the Founding Fathers chose to be completely adversary to their former oppressors in what was surely an extension of rebellion, the most prominent feature of Parliament that was borrowed in the writing of our own Constitution lies in the concept of the separation of powers throughout government," Elsa interrupted, voice entirely unaffected and monotoned. It seemed she was getting very comfortable in her new Ice Queen persona. She waited for a response, but one never came. "Would you like me to continue, Mr. Weselton?"

"No, Miss Arendelle. That is sufficient," he said through gritted teeth, eye twitching slightly from his ire. He then turned his attention to the rest of the class. "Well, what are the rest of you imbeciles doing? Write all of that down."

When the end of class finally came, Elsa walked out clutching her binder to her chest. She made her way to the Quad, destination set on her sunny table on its far side. It wasn't until she'd gotten halfway down the hallway that she noticed the presence walking in tandem with her. She looked over to see a spunky brunette flashing her a wide smile.

"Might I help you, Rapunzel?" Elsa drawled in her now perfected Ice Queen voice.

"That was amazing!" Rapunzel exclaimed, ignoring the tone. "I thought Weaseltown's head was going to explode. You could practically see the steam rising out from under that awful toupee."

Elsa rolled her eyes at the mention of the most hated teacher at their prep school. "The man finds far too much joy in humiliating the students here. Someone has to remind him of his station every now and then."

"Oh, I see it now. Anna was right," Rapunzel mused. Elsa gave her a sideways glance at the mention of Anna and the lively girl just smiled wider. "While _she's_ openly a spit-fire, you're just as feisty. Albeit in a much more nuanced sort of way."

Elsa had no idea how to respond to that, but she was saved from answering when a small beeping came from her watch. She frowned at the notification and pulled out her phone to check something.

"Is everything okay?"

Elsa started, she'd forgotten that Rapunzel was still walking with her. "Everything is fine."

They continued toward the outdoor area of the school in silence, Rapunzel still remaining by her side. When they exited the building, Elsa looked up and sighed. The sky was overcast. Thanksgiving holidays were next week and it seemed that the rainy season was soon to descend upon the Bay Area.

"Hey, Elsa," Rapunzel started timidly when Elsa began to veer away. Elsa turned toward the girl before heading over to her usual lunch table. "So… Anna and I got our Geometry tests back this morning. She did really well and said it's because you helped her. I, on the other hand, didn't do so hot. I was wondering, if it's not too much trouble… If I could ask you to help me too?

"I mean… Only if you're also helping Anna. Like, if she's planning on getting tutored by you, maybe I could stop by and join? I wouldn't want you to take extra time to help me on the side," Rapunzel rambled in a very Anna-like fashion when Elsa only stared at her. "It's just… you see, I'm not very good at math. English and art are really my strengths, and I need to bring my geometry grade up by the end of the semester to remain on the softball team and - "

"That would be fine," Elsa said, if only to stop the barrage of words that were coming at her. She wasn't sure what Anna had been telling her friend. It wasn't exactly false that she'd helped Anna with a few concepts she was having trouble grasping for her math class, but Elsa had never thought of it as tutoring. It was really the only interaction they had been having since having ice cream that late night. Helping Anna with her schoolwork was all Elsa was willing to capitulate on after that.

"Really? Great! Thank you! You're such a life saver," Rapunzel gushed. "I'll talk to Anna about it. See you later, Elsa."

Elsa watched as Rapunzel skipped over to her table with the two red heads, both of whom were looking curiously in their direction. While Ariel immediately started talking to Rapunzel as she approached, Anna's eyes remained on Elsa, a questioning look upon her face. She averted her gaze quickly and walked over to her table, a lonely isle in a sea of students exactly the way she liked it.

* * *

" _You're being a real stinker," Anna shouted at Elsa's back as she made her way up the grand staircase of the Manor._

" _Am not!" Elsa said, spinning around to stare down at the red head once she hit the mid-landing._

" _Are too!"_

" _Am not!"_

" _Girls," came a tired voice from above them._

_Elsa and Anna stopped arguing at once when Jules began descending from the second floor toward Elsa. She was always beautiful and in many ways, Elsa was an exact, miniature copy of the elegant woman. The only differences were in the shape of their mouths and, where Elsa had a light dusting a freckles across her nose that she'd inherited from her father, Jules' skin was as unblemished as the smoothest porcelain._

" _Would you care to explain why you're shouting at each other?" Jules said. The girls knew this was not truly a question._

" _Anna wants me to play the damsel… again! She always gets to be the knight," Elsa said indignantly. She then looked down to Anna who had paused halfway up the lower staircase. "Sometimes, I want to be the one to save the princess."_

" _I just want to play pretend, Elsa!"_

" _And why do you always want to be the knight, Anna?" Jules asked sincerely._

_Anna switched her attention to her godmother and her face reddened. "I don't really want to say, Mama Jules."_

_That made both of the blondes pause. It was unlike Anna to not share her feelings with them. Anna was just a bundle of emotions, unrelenting in the sheer magnitude of the feelings she had, and was never ashamed of them._

" _Come here, little duck," Jules said as she headed down to Anna. She picked up the small six-year old and propped her up on her hip. "Follow please, Elsa."_

_They made their way into the drawing room. Jules sat on the small loveseat and shifted Anna to sit upon her lap while Elsa clambered up to sit in the space next to her. Anna wouldn't meet either of their eyes, her ears still red from whatever was going through her mind. Jules gave Elsa a look that told her to remain quiet before she took Anna's small chin and tilted it up toward her._

" _What's going on in that head of yours, my darling?"_

" _Nothing," Anna said quietly. Jules raised an eyebrow at her in response and Anna stuck her bottom lip out before letting go a deep breath. "I like to be the knight to save Elsa because… Well… shesalwayssavingmeandsoIjustwantthechancetosavehertoo."_

_Elsa's eyebrows scrunched so closely together that they nearly touched as she tried to decipher the last part of Anna's statement. She'd said it so quickly in one big breath that Elsa wasn't sure if it had consisted of any real words. Her mother, on the other hand, had seemed to untangle the mess of a sentence._

" _How does Elsa always save you?"_

" _Well, she helps me with my homework and keeps Billy Larkin from picking on me at school and she helps me eat my vegetables when no one is looking -"_

" _Anna!"_

_Anna looked over at the other little girl and her eyes went wide when she realized what she just admitted. "I mean - no! I eat all my own vegetables!"_

" _Yes, of course. I know," Jules chuckled. The girls liked to think they were sneaky, but Iduna and she knew exactly what the girls got up to during dinner. It's the reason they'd started asking Gerda to serve Elsa slightly less vegetables and Anna slightly more. It always evened out in the end._

_Both children relaxed thinking they'd dodged a bullet. Anna looked back at her godmother. "She's always looking out for me. Playing the knight is the only time I get to rescue her."_

" _That's not true!" Elsa exclaimed. She tugged lightly on one of Anna's braided pigtails to make her look at her. "You ask the teacher questions for me when I'm feeling too shy. You always pick me first for your team on the playground even though you know I'm no good. You punched Billy Larkin when he -"_

" _You did what?!" her mother interrupted._

" _He took Elsa's book and was holding it over her head where she couldn't reach it," Anna said sheepishly, but then looked at Elsa and smirked. "Remember his face when he dropped it on his own head after I did?"_

_Both girls started giggling. Jules tried her best not to laugh as well. Iduna would be very upset if she inadvertently encouraged Anna's inclination for the more physical forms of retribution. Instead, she shook her head._

" _You see, little duck?" she said and waited for Anna to look back at her. "You both look out for each other and protect each other. As you always should. You don't have to play pretend to make it so. Together, you two can conquer anything for each other."_

_Anna smiled and nodded her understanding. Suddenly, a beeping sound came from the watch on Jules' wrist. Anna and Elsa shared a look when the mother looked a little worried._

" _Is everything okay, mama?" Elsa asked._

" _Yes, little fawn," Jules responded automatically, but she continued to click buttons on the digital device. "Everything is fine."_

_She stopped fidgeting with it when she felt two little hands cup her cheeks. Jules looked up to see Anna smiling at her while holding her face. "Do you need some chocolate ice cream, Mama Jules?"_

" _That does sound lovely," she said, grinning back at the adorable freckled face of her goddaughter. "But first, you must promise to not hit the other children at school anymore."_

" _But you said that we should never make promises we aren't certain that we can keep," Anna said seriously, eyebrows furrowing in confusion._

_Jules laughed heartily at that. Her girls were always so intuitive, she wondered how they could possibly only be six years old._

" _Yes, your mama and I do say that, don't we? Very well, but do please try," she responded and set Anna on her feet. Another beeping came from her watch and she schooled her features with another small smile. "Would you two like to go to Fenton's?"_

" _Yes!" they shouted in unison and dashed to get ready._

* * *

Anna was pulled out of her thoughts when the world around her started moving. She looked over at Ariel on her right who had started to gather her things. The two ginger girls had patched things up for the most part. Anna had taken Elsa's advice the morning after their late night talk and explained to Ariel that she would be her friend no matter who else she was friends with. It took over a week of trying, but Ariel eventually accepted Anna's apology.

"What's going on?" Anna whispered to Ariel.

"Daydreaming _again_ , Anna?" Ariel whispered back as she rolled her eyes and laughed quietly. "We're meeting with our partners to discuss our books."

Anna watched as Ariel made her way over to Aurora and shook the girl awake before looking back down at the paper she'd slipped into the front pocket of her binder after first period today. Her Geometry teacher had handed back last week's test, and when she came around to Anna, Mrs. Mason gave her a smile and told her to keep up the good work. Anna was shocked at her grade. She knew she did well enough; her grasp of the subject has never been better thanks to the help from Elsa and she felt confident she'd passed it. Anna just never imagined she'd scrape an A minus.

And now Elsa has agreed to also help Rapunzel? She could hardly get two words not regarding angles and degrees and equations out of Elsa for the last couple weeks, but she's suddenly willing to help Rapunzel like they're friends. Anna was trying her best to keep her little jealousy troll under control, though it got harder with each passing day of Elsa's icy demeanor. She just had to remember that she'd gotten Elsa to start opening back up to her before, she could do it again, and this time she wouldn't push her luck.

 _Let the fawn come to you_ , her mother had reminded her.

"Ahem."

Anna jumped and looked up to where Elsa had now taken residence in Ariel's seat. "Sorry, I was miles away. What did you say?"

"I asked how far you've gotten into our book."

 _I see we've circled back to the Ice Queen voice again,_ Anna thought despairingly. _This is going to take weeks to get back to where we were._

"Oh… You see, funny story…"

"You haven't even started it, have you?" Elsa said. When Anna just looked at her sheepishly, Elsa couldn't help but close her eyes and pinch the bridge of her nose. Anna was just glad Elsa's tone adopted some feeling to it, even if it was exasperation directed at her. Feelings, even negative ones, meant they were getting _somewhere_. "Anna, we're supposed to start working on this over winter break."

"I know, I'm sorry. It's just between cheerleading and my art history project this semester and all the other classes, I forgot about it. It just… seemed like I had so much time to read it and - "

A beeping sound came from Elsa's Apple watch. Anna paused as the blonde seemed to deflate when looking at the notification. Elsa rolled her shoulders back and let out a slow breath before she looked back to the red head. "Do you think you can read it by the end of the semester?"

"I mean, it doesn't look like a very long book. A month should be enough," Anna responded.

"You're sure? Because apparently the last four months weren't," Elsa chided. She rubbed her left temple with two fingers and closed her eyes again.

"Yeah, I'm sure… Are you okay?" Anna said, concerned.

"I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine. You seem tired."

"Maybe because you're exhausting," Elsa snapped. She had very little patience as a headache was growing behind her eyes. She was always fatigued on therapy day and her appointment was this afternoon. When she looked back to Anna, she caught the hurt expression and immediately felt guilty. "Just… finish the book, please? This is a large portion of the final grade."

"I know that," Anna said, attempting to dampen the hurt and anger over Elsa's barbed comments. These were Elsa's first words to her in weeks, at least outside of Anna begging for math help. She tried to keep her voice light; to keep things amiable between the two of them. "How about this? I promise to have it finished before your birthday. That gives me four and a half weeks."

"Fine," Elsa said and ran her hand through her bangs in frustration. "I should have finished reading it again by then."

"Again?!"

"Some of us take our grades seriously, Anna."

"I take my grades plenty serious," Anna rolled her eyes dramatically, finally losing her battle against being aggressively defensive. "You are so patronizing!"

"And you are such a Marianne," Elsa shot back.

"I don't know what that even means!"

"Clearly! As you've yet to even crack open the book."

"Girls," a stern voice interrupted.

The blonde and ginger turned to look at their teacher sitting at her desk at the front of the room. Ms. Beaufort wore a tired look and communicated her disappointment with only a raise of her eyebrows. Before she said anything further, the bell rang, dismissing the freshman for the day. Elsa and Anna grabbed their things, but were stopped.

"Miss Arendelle and Miss Noruldra, please remain behind for a few minutes."

The rest of the class filed out, and Ariel shot Anna a sympathetic look as she left. The two girls remained seated, not daring to look up or at each other as they waited for their usually collected teacher to reprimand them for shouting in class. They sat quietly as the Literary instructor finished working quietly on something at her desk. After what felt like ages, Ms. Beaufort stood before them and finally spoke.

"Is this going to be a problem, ladies?"

Both girls shared a look, silent arguing communicated in fervent glances. Ms. Beaufort watched in amusement, determining on her own that this likely won't be an issue, but allowed the two teens to be their own judge of the situation. Eventually, Elsa sighed, relenting, and turned back to their teacher while Anna smirked. Despite being fairly confrontational with her peers (particularly when the need to defend those she cares for arises), Anna was never one for confrontation with authority figures.

 _You're the older one_ , she used to say in excuse. Elsa would roll her eyes and claim that six-months wasn't really much, but Anna would remain adamant that Elsa should take the lead. Elsa had a habit of giving in every time.

"No, ma'am," Elsa said, sincerely. "We can work it out."

"Okay, very well," Ms. Beaufort said. Both girls got up and made to leave when their teacher stopped them once more. "Just remember, girls - healthy conflict is imperative to any relationship, even one amongst sisters, but it's always important to have an equal balance between the head and the heart."

Anna wasn't exactly sure what Ms. Beaufort was getting at, but one glance at Elsa told her that the message came across clearly to at least one of them.

"What was that about?" Anna asked as they left the classroom. Elsa sighed heavily and shook her head. Anna watched as Elsa rubbed her temples again, her shoulders slumping slightly.

"Just read the book, Anna."

"Okay, okay. I said I would," Anna moaned and rolled her eyes again. She glanced over at Elsa when she heard a frantic beeping coming from the girl's watch again. Elsa clicked a button in frustration and Anna couldn't help the feeling of deja vu that overcame her, but she couldn't place what the familiarity was. "Is everything okay, Elsa?"

Elsa didn't say anything. She just kept her eyes on the ground in front of her as she rolled her neck. Anna noticed that Elsa was gripping the strap of her shoulder bag so tightly that her knuckles were white enough to stand out against her pale skin.

"Hey," Anna said gently. Stepping in front of the other girl, she took Elsa by the shoulders and made her stop to look at her. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have shouted and I should have at least started the book. That's my bad. I promise, I'll read it."

"Thank you," Elsa said after she held her gaze and saw the sincerity behind Anna's words. "And everything is fine. You were right earlier. I am a bit tired."

When Anna and Elsa finally exited through the main entrance of the school, they found Iduna waiting outside. Elsa glanced around for her father's car, but didn't see it anywhere. Iduna pulled herself up from leaning against the side of her silver Lexus.

"Elsa, dear," Iduna said gently, approaching both teens. "Your father is very sorry, but he's stuck at the office. So I'll be taking you to your appointment."

Elsa looked at her watch even though she already knew there wasn't enough time to drop Anna off at the Manor and still make it to her appointment on time. Perhaps if they weren't held behind by their English Lit teacher, but not now. The watch beeped yet again, and she glanced up worriedly at her godmother whose spine had straightened at the sound. Running a tired hand through her bangs, Elsa stole a panicked glance at Anna before conceding.

"Okay. Thank you, Mama Ida," Elsa whispered.

 _She's anxious about something,_ Anna thought to herself as she watched the interaction unfold. She studied the weariness that Elsa held in her posture, the furrow in her brow, the thin line of her mouth. Again, that sense of deja vu overcame Anna.

"Do you have homework you can work on with you, Anna? It might take a while," Iduna said, causing Anna to tear her gaze away from Elsa.

"Yeah. I've got a book to start reading," Anna said as she got into the car.

* * *

"Proud Family Therapy? What kind of practice is this?" Anna read as they parked outside of a small, one story building in the center of a business park complex. _Does Elsa see a shrink?_

"Just a small family practice," Iduna said as she caught Elsa's uneasy look. She gave the young blonde girl a reassuring smile, and they followed Elsa through the front doors.

Anna noticed that the tips of Elsa's ears were red and her shoulders were hunched. _Yeah, she's definitely anxious about something. Maybe that's why she sees a therapist._

"Would you like us to come with you, Elsa?" Iduna asked. Anna looked at her mother incredulously. She couldn't fathom what would possess her mother to ask Elsa if she wanted them in her therapy session. Elsa spun around, eyes wide. Her gaze flickered to Anna, meeting her eyes for a brief moment.

"No, no. I'm okay, Mama Ida. I'll meet you here when I'm done," Elsa said quickly. She turned around and continued through the double doors on the other side of the room. Anna settled herself into a waiting room chair and pulled out her book.

" _Sense and Sensibility_? I think I saw Elsa reading that a while ago," Iduna said as she took the seat next to her.

"Ugh, don't make me feel more guilty," Anna groaned. When her mother raised an eyebrow at her, Anna deflated. "This is the book Elsa and I are doing for our creative project together. I haven't even started it yet, and she's almost through it a second time."

"I see. Did you two choose this book together?"

"No. Ms. Beaufort suggested it to us."

"Hm," Iduna hummed thoughtfully. She smiled after a moment. "I always did like Belle when we were girls. She was always so intuitive."

Her mother pulled her e-reader from her purse and the two Noruldra women fell into silence as they both dove into their stories.

About an hour later, Elsa came back through the double doors. Anna looked up to see that she was looking at her feet as she walked slowly, almost gingerly. She looked so tired and even paler than usual, if that was even possible. Her mother must have also noticed because she quickly walked over to Elsa and took her book bag from her before handing her a bar of chocolate and whispering something in her ear.

"Can I have some chocolate too, mom?" She asked when the two made it back over to her.

"I'm sorry, little duck. I only have the one."

Anna held in a sigh and she stuck a folded piece of paper into her novel as a makeshift bookmark. She could hear the crinkling of cellophane as Elsa opened up her candy bar. Anna zipped up her bag and flung it over one shoulder as she straightened up. She froze when she realized that Elsa had broken the chocolate bar in half and was handing her the part still remaining in the wrapper.

"Oh… No, Elsa, it's okay. I didn't mean…" Anna paused as Elsa held out the chocolate more insistently. "Are you sure?"

"I won't be able to finish it," Elsa said with a shrug. "Besides, I made a promise a long time ago."

_So much that I promise to share half my chocolate with you whenever we're together for the rest of my life._

A tightness and warmth that she couldn't attribute to any defining emotion spread in her chest as words from the past flitted through Anna's mind. She could feel the familiar pricking around her eyes as tears threatened to form and she took the candy bar from Elsa, brushing her hand accidentally as she did so. _Her hands are so cold,_ she thought, _like ice._

"Thank you."

Elsa gave her a single nod and a smile so small that Anna almost missed it. _When was the last time I saw her really smile?_ She thought. Aside from that singular night sharing a moment in a darkened kitchen over a shared pint of _Ben & Jerry's_ Chocolate Therapy. Recalling back, she was sure she hadn't seen Elsa smiling at school since they had their falling out years ago. Now that she thought about it, she didn't think she had seen Elsa smile since before…

"Are you coming, sweetheart?"

Anna gave a start as her train of thought was broken. Her mother was standing in the doorway, Elsa apparently had already made it outside. Anna dashed to catch up, pausing to hold open the door as another kid as pale as Elsa entered with his mother.

"Are you okay there, Elsa?" Iduna said, turning her head to look into the back seat once they were all seated in the car.

"Mmhm."

Anna scrunched her brows together in thought; it was unlike Elsa to not speak properly. She turned around and saw that the blonde girl had her eyes closed, head leaning on the window and chocolate only partly eaten. Anna frowned as that sense of deja vu rose up for a third time that afternoon. She couldn't place where it was coming from. It was as if someone had muddled with her memories somehow, making the source of this feeling unreachable. Mostly though, she wondered about the sinking feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.


	10. Incorrigible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen nor its characters, nor do I own any characters from other Disney works. Disney owns everything - including my heart, soul, and wallet. Also - the book quotes are taken from Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.

* * *

" _Elsa!" Anna said jovially, bounding through the open doorway and closely followed by her mother. "I brought all your schoolwork for you. Though, I don't understand why. If I were you, I'd use feeling sick more to my advantage."_

" _You always do try to push your luck," Elsa said with a weak smile. She'd been in the children's hospital for a week. What had started out as a low grade fever and a cough had quickly developed into a serious case of pneumonia. Elsa hated hospitals. She'd spent enough time in them over her young life and was very much looking forward to getting out again._

" _How are you feeling, little duck?" Iduna said as she approached Elsa's bed and placed a kiss on her forehead._

" _Much better, Mama Ida."_

_Iduna looked over at Jules sitting at Elsa's side as Anna hopped into her lap, a silent question conveyed behind her deep blue eyes. In answer, Jules gave her a tired smile and a nod. "They say we should be able to take her home tomorrow. Her fever has been gone for over twenty-four hours now."_

_Iduna let out a visible sigh of relief. Her goddaughter had always been more susceptible to illness in comparison to Anna. Where Anna would always quickly bounce back from any cold, Elsa's sicknesses always seemed to spiral from mild to severe at an alarming rate. Iduna had lost count of the number of times Anna and she had come to visit Elsa in rooms similar to this one. No matter how many times though, she doubted she'd ever get used to seeing Elsa so frail._

" _You will never guess what happened at lunch today, Elsie," Anna started, bouncing with excitement upon her godmother's lap. "Ariel and I were just minding our own business when a bee flew in through the open window. She totally freaked out and knocked her juice over. It spilled all over Billy's lap. It looked like he wet himself!"_

_Both girls descended into uncontrollable laughter. Billy Larkin was always going out of his way to ruin the girls' day. They doubted they could ever feel any sort of sympathy for the boy. The two mothers smiled at the pure display of joy in front of them. Iduna and Jules were just glad to see Elsa feeling well enough to laugh with Anna that they didn't even bother reprimanding the girls for making fun at the young boy's expense._

" _He was so mad… And when it dried… you could still… you could…" Anna tried to continue her story through fits of laughter. "It was still kind of there! All the way through the end of the day! Oh, I wish you could have seen his face."_

_Anna took a deep breath and made a scrunched up face with her cheeks all puffed out in an attempt to mimic their bully's expression. She couldn't hold the straight face though and both little girls exploded once more with hysterics. A moment later, Elsa was suddenly overcome with racking coughs due to the uninhibited laughter. Both Jules and Iduna had suddenly stood at attention, but Anna had beat them to it. She jumped off of Jules' lap and up onto the bed in order to rub circles on Elsa's back. When the hacking fit finally subsided, Elsa gave her a small smile._

" _I'm okay. Thank you," Elsa said quietly, the light atmosphere from just moments before broken._

" _You don't have to thank me, Elsa," Anna said brightly. She placed a gentle kiss on Elsa's hairline the way she always watched their Mamas do before leaning down to touch their foreheads together. The two older women watched in awe as the rowdier of the two girls displayed a rare moment of quiet gentleness. "I'm glad to take care of you, and I always will."_

" _Okay," Elsa said with another smile, and then pulled back to look down at the school work Anna had placed in front of her. "Now, tell me about today's grammar lesson."_

_Anna paled. "Umm… You see, funny story..."_

* * *

_**BEEP BEEP BEEP** _

Anna looked up from her book to the snowflake decorated door. She was lying on her stomach with her feet in the air and her head at the foot of the bed, a clear view of Elsa's closed bedroom through her open door frame. The beeping coming from Elsa's room had been sounding every few minutes for the last hour or so and Anna couldn't help but wonder what Elsa was doing in there. When the beeping didn't sound again, Anna tuned back into Jane Austen.

" _What do you know of my heart? What do you know of anything but your own suffering. For weeks, Marianne, I've had this pressing on me without being at liberty to speak of it to a single creature."_

_**BEEP BEEP BEEP** _

_Video games? No, that's ridiculous. Elsa would never bother with something like video games,_ Anna thought. _Learning to diffuse a bomb? Maybe..._

She kept letting her mind wander to the possibilities of the incessant beeping coming from Elsa's room. Her ideas kept getting wilder and wilder. It had been a couple weeks since Anna and her mother had accompanied Elsa to her therapy appointment, and the atmosphere between the two of them, while more at ease, still left Anna wanting more. Elsa no longer worked at avoiding Anna as much as possible now, but she also never actively seeked out her company.

Anna just wished they could get back to what they had before. Back when life was simpler, when they shared everything, when they had no secrets. Back when they had two mothers they shared and before Elsa's door was always closed. She understood that she could never replace an actual therapist, but she hoped that, one day, Elsa could confide in her again. With a little frown, she went back to reading.

" _Believe me, Marianne, had I not been bound to silence I could have provided proof enough of a broken heart, even to you."_

_**BEEP BEEP BEEP** _

She rolled her eyes and her curiosity got the better of her. With a huff, Anna shoved her bookmark into Austen's work and set it down before hopping across the hallway.

_Knock. Knock. Knock-knock. Knock._

"Elsa! Hey, Elsa!"

"Go away, Anna."

"Elsa Mackinley Arendelle, open up this instant!" Anna said sternly in response to what was now Anna's least favorite string of words. That simple phrase that Elsa had called through her door multiple times now ripped tiny chasms in her heart and filled in the cracks with ice and anguish. She would stand for it no more.

"I'm trying to sleep."

"No, you aren't, fibber! It's hardly nine o'clock and you haven't gotten ready for bed yet. I have a question for you."

She heard Elsa approaching the door, her feet shuffling along the carpet. Anna knew that she must be exasperated. Elsa's movements were always elegant, the gracefulness that came with years of figure skating extended beyond the rink, but she _literally_ dragged her feet when she was being forced to do something she didn't want to do. Elsa's door opened, and she quickly stepped out and re-shut it before Anna could even glimpse inside.

"What is it?"

"I was just wondering what that sound was coming from your room."

"That's not a question," Elsa said, quirking her brow up at Anna.

Anna rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. It was, like… a beeping sound. Are you playing video games in there or something?"

"Or something," Elsa said. Anna waited for her to expand on the explanation, arms crossed over her chest and her own eyebrow rising. "I was on my laptop."

"Playing a game?"

"Studying."

"Liar."

"Excuse me?" Elsa responded, taken aback.

"You're excused," Anna said lightly, smirking devilishly. "I forgive you for lying."

It was Elsa's turn to roll her eyes. "You're incorrigible."

"Thank you!" Anna said cheerfully and Elsa rolled her eyes again, but Anna saw the half-smile that she associated with an amused Elsa make a brief appearance. "Anyway, I know you weren't studying. You don't study in your room because you have a Study. You know? That room your dad built specifically for your studying needs. The one he tried to convert my room to before you stopped him."

 _She knows about that?_ Elsa blinked at her several times, keeping her face as neutral as she could before adopting her unaffected tone and lying once more. "Okay you caught me. I was playing a game."

"I don't believe you," Anna said slowly, squinting questioningly at her. She dismissed the feeling with a non-committal wave of her hand. "Also - I don't like this voice. Please don't use it anymore."

"I haven't a clue what you mean," Elsa monotoned.

"That! The bored, emotionless voice you've insisted on using. That's the voice of an unfriendly robot," Anna said. She lightly booped Elsa on the nose. "It really doesn't suit you."

"I beg your pardon?" Elsa retorted while tilting her head back from the invasion into her personal space, frustration growing over this ongoing conversation.

"No need to beg, Elsa. We both know I'd give you all my pardons willingly," Anna quipped, devious smirk back in place. She raised her eyebrow at Elsa once more in a challenge.

Elsa closed her eyes and took a deep breath, hand coming up to pinch the bridge of her nose. Her shoulders slumped as she slowly shook her head before allowing her hand to fall back to her side and allowing her chin to fall toward her chest. For the first time in Anna's memory, Elsa looked defeated. She feared for a moment that she might have taken it too far, but Elsa quietly posed a question.

"You're not going to let it go, are you?"

Anna's expression softened and she uncrossed her arms. Taking the two steps right up to Elsa, she put one finger under the blonde's chin and tilted it up to face her. Anna was startled to see unshed tears when Elsa finally opened her eyes, but Anna offered her a gentle smile.

"Let what go? Trying to be your friend and sister again?" Anna asked quietly. She didn't really need Elsa to answer, the look in her eyes told her everything, but she waited for the blonde to nod in confirmation. "No, I really won't. Look, I don't know what exactly is going on with you, and I'm not going to force you to tell me. You'll do that when you're ready, but I'm not letting you shut me out anymore. Like I told you all those years ago - until the sun fades out and the world is covered in frost, you're stuck with me."

And there it was - like the first night of the waning moon, the smallest of smiles pulled at the corners of Elsa's mouth; a faint crescent on a pale canvas. A tear rolled down Elsa's cheek and Anna wiped it away with a swipe of her thumb.

"Stuck with you, huh?"

"Like super glue," Anna offered brightly. She placed a gentle kiss on Elsa's hairline before leaning in to touch their foreheads together and wrapping her arms around the blonde's waist. It was a simple gesture Anna had done to comfort Elsa since they were small children. She felt Elsa stiffen, but Anna held on tight. To her relief, she felt the blonde relax slowly and then wrap her arms around Anna in reciprocation.

"Incorrigible," Elsa whispered, unsure if she was talking about herself or the strawberry blonde wrapping her in a warm hug.

* * *

" _Girls, please settle down and eat your lunches like little ladies," Iduna said, eyeing both children with a stern eye. The two sets of mother and daughter were sitting out on a sunny patio enjoying lunch in the garden of Arendelle Manor._

" _Sorry!" the two little, four year-old girls said in unison. They hopped up from playing on the ground with their dolls and clambered into their respective seats next to their mothers._

_Iduna and Jules shared a look. They loved these Wednesdays. Since the girls started pre-school earlier this school year, the days were a little difficult for the two mothers who had gotten used to spending most of their off time with their girls. Every other Wednesday, though, the girls had no school. Iduna and Jules started requesting the days off or as 'work' from home opportunities._

" _So, how did it go on Saturday?" Jules asked Iduna casually. The brunette woman tensed slightly and glanced down to the girls. They didn't appear to be paying any attention, instead funny faces were being made at each other from across the table._

" _It was fine."_

" _Ah, okay. So no second date then," Jules said knowingly, eyeing Iduna over her cup of tea._

" _I didn't say that," Iduna mumbled._

" _What's a date?" Elsa asked innocently as she passed half her sandwich to Anna and took the half offered in return. Jules and Iduna looked at each other, silently debating whether or not to truthfully answer the question. Their girls were far too young to start thinking about dating, even just as a concept. Jules decided that evasive tactics were the way to go and brushed passed the question._

" _What are you two doing? Gerda made you both the exact same peanut butter and blackberry jam sandwiches."_

" _Elsa eats the left side of my sandwich and I eat the right side of hers, of course!" Anna exclaimed around a mouthful of PB &J._

" _But, why?" Iduna asked, eyebrows raising. "And please do not speak with your mouth full, little duck."_

_Anna took a big gulp of chocolate milk to wash down her bite. "Because she's left handed and I'm right handed and -"_

" _We finish each other's sandwiches," Elsa finished then took her own bite of food._

" _Oh well, of course, that is only logical," Jules responded, holding in a laugh. Iduna and her shared a smile at their daughters' adorable behavior. Once their laughter was under control and the girls occupied themselves again with eating, Jules continued their conversation. "Ok, so what happened?"_

_Iduna took an extended sip of her tea as she searched for the words. "Nothing happened, per say. He was nice, but…"_

" _But what?" Jules encouraged when her best friend trailed off. Iduna just stared down at her tea, finger tracing the rim of the ceramic cup. Jules decided to take a guess. "But he's not Isaac."_

_It wasn't really a question._

_Iduna let out a massive sigh that caused the two younger girls to look at her in confusion. Iduna gave them both a gentle smile before looking back to her oldest confidant. "I know it's been four years, and you're right in trying to get me back out there. I just don't know if I'm ready yet."_

" _I know, love," Jules said seriously. "I don't want to push you, that's not my intention. I just… I want you to be happy. Don't we want her to be happy, girls?"_

_Elsa and Anna bounced in their seats and quickly agreed, spouting a string of phrases like 'so so happy' and 'the happiest ever ever ever' over each other._

_Iduna gave Jules a faraway smile. "And I_ am _happy. I have the girls. I have you. I have my work. For now, that's enough. When I'm ready… if I'm ever ready… I'll give it an honest try. I promise."_

" _That's all I ask," Jules said. "Whoever it is. As long as he makes you happy, my dear, I'll be happy for you."_

_The four girls settled back into a comfortable silence, enjoying their garden picnic, before Iduna broke the peace once more._

" _Anna, stop sneaking your carrots onto Elsa's plate."_

* * *

Elsa was in the middle of reading about the similarities between notable European dictatorships when her Comparative Government textbook was unceremoniously shut and slipped away off her lunch table. She looked up in surprise, ready to tell off whoever decided to interrupt her studying when Anna sat down and started pulling her lunch out. Before she could get a word of reprimand to spill from her mouth, Rapunzel sat next to her on the sunward facing side of her picnic table and gave the blonde a big smile. Elsa looked between the other two girls in complete confusion.

"What the hell is going on?" a voice asked from beside her. Elsa's head snapped up to see the bright red hair of Ariel. The girl was staring at the three of them, a look of complete annoyance on her face.

"Exactly what I was going to ask," Elsa mumbled. "Can I have my book, please?"

"Nope, we're eating lunch," Anna said brightly to Elsa before looking up at her other friend and patting the bench next to her, the seat across from Rapunzel. "I saved you a seat, Ariel."

Anna looked at Ariel expectantly. Elsa and Rapunzel let their eyes dart between the two ginger girls as Ariel seemed to have an internal debate; the blonde more out of confusion while the brunette looked on in worry. Rapunzel had a sinking feeling that Ariel wouldn't take this change to their lunch routine with as much excitement as she did. Elsa had been helping her with Geometry for the last couple weeks already, and the bubbly brunette genuinely wanted to be Elsa's friend.

After several beats, Ariel let out a heavy huff and sat down next to Anna, avoiding meeting Elsa's gaze. It didn't bother the blonde though; she hadn't cared much about Ariel's opinion since that incident in fourth grade. Elsa turned her attention back to Anna and raised an eyebrow. Feeling eyes on her, Anna looked up and smiled, but her grin faltered under Elsa's intense gaze.

"No, you have to eat your lunch," Anna said sternly, understanding exactly what that look meant.

"I'll eat my lunch," Elsa said, holding out her hand. "Despite the interruption."

Anna rolled her eyes and handed the textbook over. "Fine, but this isn't going to keep us from talking to you."

"Thank you," Elsa said, propping the book open in her lap and ignoring Anna's comment. The table was quiet for a few moments as the other girls started eating. The silence was quickly broken, though, by a curious Rapunzel.

"Um… Anna, don't you and Elsa have the exact same sandwiches?"

"Yeah, why?" Elsa heard Anna respond without looking up from her textbook.

"Well, then why'd you switch half of your sandwich with Elsa's?"

That caught Elsa's attention and her head snapped up to see that she did indeed now have two left halves of chicken salad sandwich. She eyed the girl across from her and Anna gave her a smile before taking a bite out of one of her right halves. Elsa shook her head with amusement and a half smirk of her own before taking one of her lefts and beginning to eat while finishing up the chapter reading.

"You two still do that weird sandwich thing?" Ariel asked, rolling her eyes so dramatically Elsa was surprised that her whole head didn't move with them. She decided to ignore her and went back to her course reading.

Anna chose to let Ariel's comment slide and addressed the brunette. "We've done it since we were kids. Elsa ate the left halves and I ate the right ones. It didn't occur to me until we were in the third grade that if I just flipped over my left half, it would look like a right one, but by then it was too late. Old habits and what not."

"That's cute," Rapunzel said with a laugh. "Anyway, I needed to go to the mall this weekend to visit the art supply store. I'm running dangerously low on paints and am in need of more charcoal. Anyone down for a day at the mall?"

Both redheads eagerly agreed, and after a quiet moment, Elsa felt a nudge on her right when Rapunzel bumped shoulders with her gently. The blonde looked over at an expectant looking face and blinked several times. Rapunzel didn't let her gaze deviate or her smile slip at all.

"What do you say, Els? Saturday afternoon," Rapunzel clarified.

"Oh… I'll likely have homework -"

"Which you'll probably finish by Friday night," Anna interrupted. Elsa opened her mouth to argue, but Anna stopped her before she could get another word out. "Don't lie. You always finish your homework before Saturday."

Elsa stared at Anna for a moment and the two childhood best friends silently argued. It was all scowls and raised eyebrows and little smirks. Rapunzel found it completely entertaining while Ariel just rolled her eyes again.

"I see you two still do that weird 'speaking without words' thing too," the redhead said in an irritated sort of voice, aggressively piercing a cherry tomato from her salad with a fork.

Eventually, Elsa let out a long breath and returned her gaze to an excited looking Rapunzel. "I will accompany you to the mall on Saturday."

"Fantastic! This will be amazing!"

Elsa couldn't help but give Rapunzel a genuine smile in response to her excitement before returning her attention once more to the book in her lap. She'd gotten used to the bubbly girl's presence over their geometry tutoring sessions with both her and Anna. Rapunzel actually reminded her a lot of Anna. It was no wonder the two got along so well. And like her oldest friend, it seemed Rapunzel also didn't know how to leave Elsa to her book.

"Um… Elsa?" Rapunzel whispered.

"Hm?" she hummed distractedly.

"You might want to pay more attention," Rapunzel continued to whisper. Elsa looked up at her in confusion. "Anna's slipping her carrots into your lunch."

Elsa's head spun so quickly to look at Anna that it nearly gave her a head rush; her long platinum braid swinging wildly off of her shoulder. She turned just in time for Anna to give her a guilty expression, her hand still extended across the table as she attempted to move multiple carrots into Elsa's snack sized bag.

"Snitches get stitches, Zel," Anna said in mock anger, causing the brunette girl to chuckle.

"Anna, we're not eight anymore," Elsa chastised. She put several carrots back into Anna's baggy and returned her eyes to her textbook. "You need to eat your own vegetables."

"Ugh… but Mama gives me so much, and you never minded taking some of my veggies before."

"Our Mamas always gave you more vegetables because they knew you would try to get me to eat some of yours. It was on purpose. In the end, we would always eat the same sized servings," Elsa explained without looking up. When the two girls to the right of her exploded with laughter, Elsa looked at her three table mates with a curious expression. She saw that Anna's mouth was completely unhinged. Elsa had just shattered her world view; her mind entirely blown away.

"Those sneaky mother -"

"ANNA!"

"-s of ours," Anna finished lamely. She shook her head in disbelief while Elsa let out a sigh of relief and Rapunzel snorted. "My world will never be the same."

"You were always so dramatic," Elsa said with an eye roll, but her expression softened when she could see the genuine distress in Anna's eyes. With a sigh, Elsa reached over and grabbed a couple baby carrots from Anna's snack bag and proceeded to eat them. Anna grinned at her.

"Thanks, Elsie," Anna said happily. Elsa sent her another amused half-smirk and shook her head slowly as she returned once again to her reading.

"Incorrigible," she mumbled, still unsure if she was saying it to Anna or herself.


	11. Some Things Never Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen nor its characters, nor do I own any characters from other Disney works. Disney owns everything - including my heart, soul, and wallet.

* * *

" _Please don't wander too far ahead, girls," Jules called as Elsa and Anna skipped several feet in front of them, laughing brightly. "And do not let go of Anna's hand, little fawn!"_

_Elsa turned around and gave her mother a smile, "Yes, Mama. Of course!"_

_Anna was rather small for their age and could easily get lost in a crowded area, but Elsa's platinum blond hair was easy to spot. Whenever they went anywhere, their mother's always told them to stick to each other closely. Not that they'd ever need telling twice, really; they never left each other's side. The girls were headed straight for the carousel located at the mall's center, just below the food court, with their mothers trailing closely behind. Anna's seventh birthday was only a week away and the young girls wanted to buy matching outfits for the party so their mother's brought them to the mall._

_Though first, as always, was a ride or two on the carousel. The girls got into line quickly, their mother's joining them once they caught up. The girls were bouncing with excitement, giggling and making a general ruckus._

" _We really shouldn't have stopped at Fenton's before coming here," Jules said, looking at Iduna with stern eyes._

" _Oh lighten up, love," Iduna said with a laugh. "They would be like this even without all the sugar. Isn't that right, girls?"_

_The girls weren't paying any attention though as it was their turn to board. They just laughed and ran off to circle the carousel in search of their usual mounts - a mighty reindeer for Anna and a blue horse for Elsa._

" _Come on! Come on! Come on, Elsie!" Anna shouted when she saw that their steeds were still available. She ran up to the reindeer and gave him a hearty pat on the side. "Hiya, Sven! I've missed you!"_

_Anna looked over to see Elsa curtsy to her horse and give it a gentle pat on the nose just as both their mothers found them. Jules and Iduna helped their daughters onto their chosen animals and strapped them in before heading off to stand with the other parents._

" _How many times do you think they'll let us go around?" Anna asked the blonde._

" _Twice," Elsa said as she waved at their mothers. "Any more than that and you'll surely get sick."_

" _I will not!"_

_Elsa turned to Anna and raised her eyebrows with a smirk. Anna always had a penchant for motion sickness. "Yes you would."_

" _I will not. You'll see! We'll ride it three times; maybe four," she responded. Anna also had a penchant for being stubborn._

_Elsa, on the other hand, had a penchant for being correct. Once their second ride was done, their mothers tried to coax them off of the carousel, but Anna insisted she could ride it two more times. After their third ride in a row, Elsa looked over at Anna. She was impressed; Anna usually only made it through two rides on the carousel before a "Code V" situation occurred, but this time, Anna was sitting strong so they rode once more._

" _You did it, Anna!" Elsa exclaimed happily. Anna nodded, looking down at the back of Sven's head. "That was four! Did you want to go one more time?"_

_Anna nodded again, but that made Elsa frown. Anna was being much too quiet for such a milestone. She studied Anna closer and noticed the unusual paleness beneath her freckles, the slight tinged hue to her cheeks, the light sheen of sweat glistening along her brow._

" _Anna, are you okay?" The younger of the two girls nodded one more time with her mouth clamped so tightly shut that her lips were a thin, white line. Elsa wasn't buying it. She hopped down from her horse and held out her hand to Anna to help her down. Anna looked at the offered hand, but shook her head and did not look at the blonde. Stubborn as ever. "Come on, Anna. Let's get off and give someone else a turn to ride Sven and Nokk. I think I'm ready to find your birthday outfit now, and I don't think I'll keep my ice cream down if I ride it one more time."_

_Elsa knew she won immediately when Anna grinned at her gratefully. They both knew that Elsa was fine, but she was pretending for Anna's sake. They walked over to their mothers hand in hand slowly, both Jules and Iduna were sending Anna identical expressions that said both 'my poor little girl' and 'I told you so' in a single glance._

" _I didn't want to go another time," Elsa said lightly before either of their mothers could get a word out. The two women shared a knowing look before Iduna pulled out a small bottle of ginger-ale for Anna who took it willingly once it was opened and handed to her. She took a few tentative sips before handing the bottle back to her mother._

" _Okay, girls," Jules said. "Where are we going? Bippity Boppity Boutique?"_

_Both Elsa and Anna began excitedly agreeing to the suggestion, speaking over each other with phrases like 'Yes please please please' and 'oh my goodness yes yes yes.' They quickly linked arms and started skipping their way to the storefront on the other side of the mall. The young girls always enjoyed shopping there as the staff had a way of making their little patrons feel just like perfect princesses._

_The mothers, who were closely following behind them, realized a second too late that the skipping was a bad choice. Not three hops later, Anna came to a sudden halt as the twin-braided redhead hunched over and the double scoop of triple fudge ice cream found its way back up. Jules and Iduna went to work quickly, the brunette woman picking up Anna and rubbing comforting circles on her back, and Jules getting the attention of the staff._

" _We've got a Code V… Yeah, it's little Anna again… Four cycles… Yeah, I know," the acne-faced teenager running the carousel chuckled into her cellphone. She turned to Jules with a smile once she hung up. "Clean up crew is on the way."_

" _Thank you, Becca," Jules responded with an apologetic expression before she made her way to Elsa who was waiting patiently on the side as the adults took control of the situation. She could tell that Elsa was tense and she picked her up the same way Iduna had picked up Anna. "What's the matter, little fawn?"_

" _I should have made us get off the carousel," Elsa said quietly. She had never felt so terrible about being right before. "I knew she'd get sick, but I let her keep riding."_

" _Don't worry yourself, Elsa," Jules said as she walked them over to where Iduna was standing with Anna, the smaller of which was resting her head on her mother's shoulder. "We all know there's no forcing Anna out of something she's set her mind on, even against better judgement. She'll eventually understand her limits."_

_Elsa nodded and turned slightly in her mother's arms when they reached the other pair. She mirrored Anna's position and laid her head on Jules' shoulder. "How are you feeling, Anna?"_

" _Quincy… Queenly?" Anna said with a frown. "What am I trying to say?"_

" _Queasy?" Elsa suggested with a giggle._

" _Yeah," Anna said and winced when she let out a little burp. "Gross… ice cream does not taste good a second time. Not even chocolate ice cream."_

_The other three all scrunched their noses at the comment, but Elsa also reached into her mother's purse hanging off the same shoulder and pulled out a peppermint. Unwrapping it, Elsa reached out and Anna let her pop it into her mouth._

" _Fanks," she said as she sucked on the candy. "I fink I feel be'er."_

" _Come on, darlings," Iduna said. "Let's get you two back for a nap. We'll come back later."_

" _Can we ride the carousel again?" Anna asked._

_Elsa lifted her head to shake it slowly as she laughed. "What am I ever going to do with you?"_

* * *

"Elsa, come on! We've got to go or we'll be late and Ariel hates waiting," Anna called up the staircase.

"I'm right here. There's no need to shout," Elsa said and she rounded the corner of the mid-landing.

"Your dad is pulling the car around. He said he'd drop us off on the way to his office," Anna said. Elsa nodded and sat on the bottom stair to put on her impossibly immaculate, white Keds. "How do you keep your shoes so clean?!"

Elsa paused as her eyes darted to Anna's scuffed up Chuck Taylors. She couldn't keep the small smirk off her face. "We've had this conversation before, Anna."

"We have?" Anna asked with a frown.

"I swear you've got a sieve for a memory sometimes," Elsa said with a small shake of her head, tying up her laces. "Third grade. Only a week into school and your new shoes were already all battered up, but mine still looked untouched. I told you it's because I don't run around in the dirt and you said that it's only fun if -"

"You get a little messy," Anna finished with a big smile. She offered Elsa a hand up, which the blonde took. "That's right. I totally forgot about that."

"Some things never change," Elsa responded with a chuckle. They headed out the front door, locking up behind themselves. Elsa went to get in the back seat when Anna stopped her.

"You don't have to sit in the back, Elsa. It's your dad's car. You should sit shotgun. I do when Mama is driving."

"Have you gotten over your motion sickness?" Elsa asked with a single raised eyebrow. Anna just blushed under the scrutiny. She should have guessed Elsa had her reasons. Her thoughtfulness, even after years of separations, was as persistent as the rise and fall of the sun. The older girl sent the younger a knowing smirk. "Just take the front seat, Anna."

"Thanks, Elsie," she said sheepishly.

Anna had been correct. Ariel was already waiting for them at the agreed upon location, but she at least wasn't alone. She and Rapunzel were window shopping at a kiosk that was selling lotions and fragrances.

"Sorry, we're a little late," Anna said.

"It's cool. We just got here too," Rapunzel said. "Hey, Elsa! Glad you came out with us."

"Hi, Rapunzel," she responded and turned to Ariel with a nod. "Ariel."

"Elsa," the red haired girl responded with an inexpressive face.

Anna and Rapunzel looked between the two other girls and then to each other warily. It was like watching a game of chicken; each girl almost daring the other to blink. Anna had hoped that after all these years, these two could just let it go, but it seemed that was just wishful thinking. Finally, she couldn't stand the tension anymore.

"Hey! Why did Peter Pan fail flight school?" Anna said with exaggerated excitement. The other three girls just stared at her with wide eyes at the sudden, over exuberant outburst. "Because he couldn't land!"

Silence. Anna scrunched her nose as she replayed what she just said.

"Wait… that can't be right. That's not remotely funny at all. Because he never learned to land? No, that's not it either…"

Anna paused, scratching absently at her head as she went over the joke in her head once more, mumbling it out to herself to find where she went wrong. Suddenly, her three friends started laughing uncontrollably. Well, at least Rapunzel and Ariel were laughing uncontrollably, hunched over and grabbing a stitch in their sides, trying their hardest to take a full breath. Elsa, on the other hand, was hiding her mouth behind one hand. She never really was one to laugh so uninhibitedly, but Anna easily recognized her actions as Elsa's full surrender to the merriment. The broken tension made Anna smile, even if it was at her expense.

"You're the worst joke teller I've ever met," Rapunzel said as she hooked an arm through one of Anna's and started leading the group to the art store. "But it makes you you, and that's one of those things I love."

When they entered the The Paint Chip, Rapunzel immediately went over to the oil paints and Elsa followed her with interest while Anna headed over to the pieces of artwork hung up along the wall for display and sale. Ariel joined her and the two gingers spent a few minutes appreciating the works of several local artists. After looking at a particularly eye catching painting of brightly colored swirling brushstrokes that made Anna, for some reason, feel inexplicably uneasy, she half turned to face her friend.

"I'd appreciate it if you could at least try getting along with Elsa," Anna said quietly as to not attract the attention of the other girls a few aisles away, broaching the touchy subject from earlier. Ariel looked at her and rolled her eyes. "Please, Ariel?"

"Elsa and I have never seen eye to eye," Ariel started.

"That's because, in the deepest ways, you're very similar," Anna said. Ariel's eyebrows furrowed and she opened her mouth to protest angrily, if Anna was reading her expression right, so Anna held up her hand to stop her before she could get started. "You're both kind and caring, you're very protective of those you love, but most of all - you're both stubborn. The most stubborn. So stubborn it's frustrating."

"I am not!" Ariel said in a harsh whisper. "And Elsa and I have nothing in common."

"You're only proving my point here," Anna said, raising an eyebrow. Ariel opened and closed her mouth several times to attempt a rebuttal, but in the end only succeeded at a mildly accurate impression of a guppy out of water. "Look, I love you and I love her. You're my two best friends. I would like to be able to hang out with both of you at the same time, but you're making that difficult with all the glaring and tense silences and the general aura of hatred."

"I have no idea what you're…" Ariel began, but conceded after another pointed look from the other girl. Ariel sighed and turned back to the paintings. "Okay, fine! I'll try to play nice, but she has to too."

"Tutus are for ballerinas," Anna said with a laugh. Ariel rolled her eyes in the dramatic way that only Ariel can. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself. Don't worry though, I'll talk to her. Besides… fourth grade was so long ago. Maybe you two can finally bury the hatchet?"

"And waste a perfectly good weapon?"

"Ariel!"

"Okay okay, yeesh," she sighed. Ariel looked at Anna sincerely. "For you, I will try."

"That's all I ask," Anna said as the other two found them. Rapunzel was carrying a large tote of merchandise. "Got everything you need, Zel?"

"And then some," Rapunzel said with a huge smile. "My mom also asked me to pick up some new strings for the guitars. How about we stop at the music store and get that out of the way and then we can have lunch?"

The girls all agreed and made their way across the mall to Sharps and Flats, the resident instrument retailer and repair store. Elsa paused in the entrance of the store as the other three dispersed through the different sections. The sounds of all the customers testing out different instruments assaulted her ears in her favorite way. She zoned in on an older man testing out a drum kit, his beats unknowingly matching the young girl shredding away on an electric guitar on the other side of the room. She heard the jangling of a tambourine that was being shaken mindlessly and her eyes were drawn to the toddler holding it as his mother browsed through the vinyl records. It was a cacophony of sound in the best way possible and it brought a smile to her face.

After taking it all in, Elsa headed to her favorite section at the back of the store. She pushed open the heavy glass door into the wood paneled room designated for acoustic instruments. She admired the wall of hollow body guitars, the small selection of Koa wood ukuleles, the rows of orchestral instruments including her instrument of choice - the cello. What caught her eye most though, was the baby grand piano sitting stage center in the room. Walking over to it, she lifted the fallboard and ran her fingers along the cold surface of the keys. It didn't occur to her how much she missed playing music until this moment.

She rubbed her hands together and stretched her fingers, assessing her mobility today. Elsa admitted to herself - she felt good. Better than she had in a couple weeks. Sitting down on the bench and rolling her shoulders back in practiced fashion, Elsa closed her eyes and let her fingers fly along the ivories. She relished in the perfect sound that the room created as she wove melody, harmony, and rhythm together with her own two hands. As the last note died out, she let out a sigh and a contented smile, but was startled when she heard a quiet clapping coming from behind her.

Anna had seen Elsa enter the closed off area and followed behind her a few paces, allowing Elsa a minute's space. She knew Elsa wasn't really one for crowds, and the mall on a Saturday was teeming with people so she gave her a moment of reprieve. When she saw Elsa sit down at the piano though, she couldn't help but quietly slip in and sneak a listen. Elsa still played piano as beautifully as she remembered. Anna was aware that the blonde loved the cello, preferred it above all other instruments actually, but there was something about the way Elsa's elegant fingers dabbled across the keys that comforted Anna.

"That was beautiful," Anna said after she finished her small applause. She walked over to Elsa and sat next to her on the piano bench. "What composer was it?"

"Chopin," Elsa said with a smile.

"Ah, I should have guessed. He's your favorite."

Elsa nodded and turned back to the keys and started to play quietly; not another piece, she just let her fingers fall to the next notes naturally. Anna watched her hands slowly mull over the keyboard for a few heartbeats.

"You quit the orchestra?" It wasn't really a question, but Elsa nodded anyway. "Why? You obviously miss playing. And it clearly brings your peace and joy."

"It was getting to be too much." A half truth, but Elsa didn't want to tell Anna her secret. At least not here and certainly not today.

"Well, you still have the gift," Anna said. She let the quiet settle between them as Elsa started up another piece. Listening closely and watching the slender hands dance along the black and whites, Anna suddenly felt overcome with sadness though she was unsure why. Then suddenly, like lightning on a dry desert night or the flare as a memory is caught on film, it struck her. The image of a woman who looked so exactly like the teenager seated next to her flashed within her mind's eye, and the tears that she didn't realize were welling up spilled over quietly.

Anna closed her eyes and let the quiet melody wash over her. Memories that she hadn't thought of in a long time played in her head as the song unlocked echoes she'd long ago tucked away. They made her feel safe and comforted, but devastated at the same time. A young lifetime with a second mother flooded her mind like a tidal wave down a river where a dam of self enforced repression once stood. As the final refrain resonated within the pine room around them, Anna wiped her cheeks and turned to Elsa with a smile.

"Debussy. That's Mama Jules' favorite piece," she said.

"I haven't played it in a while," Elsa nodded once more and returned Anna's smile with a small one of her own. "I'd forgotten how lovely it is."

"I miss her," Anna whispered.

"Me too."

"Remember when she tried to teach me to play?" Anna asked, voice suddenly lighter. She couldn't sit in the melancholy any longer. If Anna was good at anything, it was deflecting in times of heightened gloom. Elsa smiled, knowing exactly what the redhead was doing, but didn't comment on it.

"You didn't have enough patience," Elsa said with a chuckle. "And neither did Mama when it came to getting you to sit still long enough to get through one set of scales."

"Eh, music is your thing. I'm more of an art appreciator," Anna responded with a regal wave of her hand. She adopted a snooty, almost high English sort of accent. "You there! Yes, sir, you. Your art. It is quite lovely. I shall pay you handsomely to own it."

And then Anna heard it. The rare, uninhibited laugh. A melody only a fair few were granted access to hear and she froze with a smile on her face as it filled the room designed specifically to reverberate such musical sounds. Where Anna's laughter was boisterous and booming, a rolling thunder of mirth; Elsa's laughter was more like a delicate tune dancing across the keys of a piano. It had been a long time since she'd heard that sound, but she recognized it immediately. Elsa's words were right this morning.

_Some things never change._

"Hey, girls," Rapunzel said as she poked her head into the room. Elsa and Anna stopped laughing and turned to look at the brunette. "Ariel is getting a little… _hangry_. I think it's time to feed the beast before she suddenly sprouts tentacles and tries wreaking havoc all across The Bay."

* * *

" _Shhh, you're being too noisy," Elsa said in a stern whisper. "Mama is going to hear."_

" _I know, I know. I'm being quiet," Anna insisted, but started giggling again as soapy water sloshed over the side of the bathtub._

" _That's the opposite of quiet."_

" _Girls! Where are you?" They heard Jules calling through the closed door. Elsa and Anna froze hoping that she'd walk right past the bathroom they were hiding in._

" _Arf!"_

_Busted. The door handle jiggled._

" _Girls, what are you doing in there? Unlock the door this instant."_

" _We're taking a bath, Mama!" Elsa called out. "We got a little muddy outside."_

_It wasn't a complete lie. They did get muddy as they chased the dog along the garden path. Neither Elsa nor Anna was sure where the dog had come from, but they were determined to find a way to keep it._

" _You know you aren't supposed to lock the door during bath time. Open it up right now!" Jules called desperately through the door._

" _Arf! Arf!"_

_Anna quickly put a hand over the dog's mouth. "Shh, Marshmallow. You're going to get us caught"_

" _Marshmallow?"_

" _He's just so fluffy!"_

" _Do you girls have a_ dog _in there?!" Jules' voice came through the door again._

" _No!" Elsa said quickly._

" _Definitely not, Mama Jules!" Anna backed her up._

" _I see." They heard footsteps leading away from the bathroom and they both let out a sigh of relief. Elsa turned the removable shower head back on and started to rinse off the pup when they heard a jingling getting closer. They looked at each other with wide eyes and quickly pulled the curtain closed just as the door swung open to reveal Jules with a ring of keys in her hand._

_Jules' eyes swept the scene, taking in the muddy clothes the girls were still wearing, the soapy water coating the floor, the noise of the shower still running, the nervous and guilty expressions on the two little faces staring up at her. Before she could say anything, another loud 'Arf' sounded from the tub. She pinched the bridge of her nose._

" _You two are going to give me white hair."_

* * *

"How was the day, girls?" Iduna asked as Anna and Elsa slid into the car a couple hours later. After lunch, they had spent a little time shopping and both of them had a few bags of items they'd picked up throughout the day.

"Great!" Anna said as she buckled in. "I got a new jacket. I'm not sure what happened to this one, but I tore the sleeve."

She protracted her left arm across her body to show her mother the tear she'd gotten along the seams of the sleeve on the back of her shoulder. Elsa provided the answer though.

"She got excited in the pet store. They were having an adoption event and she hopped into the little pen set up with a bunch of puppies," Elsa said from the back seat. "They were all over her. The jacket didn't stand a chance."

"What was I _supposed_ to do? They were just all so cute," Anna said, sending her mother a look. It was all wide eyes and pouty bottom lip.

"No."

"What? I didn't ask anything," Anna said with exaggerated innocence.

"Just no."

"But look at how adorable and sweet Marshmallow is!" Anna exclaimed as she shoved her phone in her mother's face. She'd taken a selfie with the fluffiest corgi baby in the pen.

"That's good," Iduna said. "He'll definitely get adopted then… by someone else."

"Aw, Mama! Please!"

Iduna paused. "Okay."

Elsa's eyes widened in surprise as an audience member in the back seat. She was certain that Mama Ida was never going to cave. Neither her own mother nor her godmother had caved when they'd snuck the original Marshmallow into the house. Anna seemed to think the same thing.

"Wait… really?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes," Iduna clarified. "When you're older and have your own place and own income."

 _Now that makes more sense,_ Elsa thought.

Anna pouted for real this time, crossing her arms and glaring out her side window. The entire car ride home was journeyed in silence. When they finally arrived back at the Manor, both teens brought their stuff up to their rooms as Iduna went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. After putting away the things she'd bought, Elsa exited her room to head to her study when she paused outside Anna's door. The ginger was lying on her bed, scrolling through the photos of the puppies she'd taken that afternoon.

"I told you not to name him," Elsa said sympathetically, leaning on the open door frame. She was hesitant to enter without expressed permission. She wasn't sure if their friendship was at that point yet.

"I know," Anna said dejectedly, rolling onto her back and putting her phone down. She patted the bed next to her. Elsa took the invitation and sat down. "Sometimes I just can't help myself. I fall so fast."

"All heart. Your head never could keep up with it," Elsa smiled. She looked down at the phone and saw one she'd taken of the new Marshmallow smothering Anna in kisses. "He really is a sweet puppy."

Anna sat up suddenly, startling Elsa. "Let's get a dog!"

"Anna, you already tried this," Elsa frowned. "Mama Ida was pretty clear."

"Yeah, no. I get it. She said when I'm older and have my own place and blah blah blah. Yeah," Anna said, but she was bouncing with excitement. "I meant let's do that! When we're college roommates, let's get a dog!"

 _Oh, that's right. The plan,_ Elsa thought. They had discussed it numerous times when they were children. Go to Ahtohallan Prep, graduate, attend their dream school - Arendelle University (where Elsa would study some sort of science and Anna would study… well, something), share an apartment, find their true loves, eventually marry those true loves, have daughters to raise as best friends. Do all those steps together (this was non-negotiable).

Basically - be their mothers.

And thinking about it now made the tightness in Elsa's chest take hold. She took a deep breath and put on a smile though. Now was not the time.

"Definitely, Anna," she said.

"Really?" Anna said, smile so bright the sun should feel ashamed.

"Of course," Elsa said, the anxiety melting away. She adopts the same fake English accent Anna had used earlier in the music store. "Sir Anna the Galant deserves her mighty steed."

"Yay! I'm so excited!" Anna said with a mischievous laugh as if she'd gotten away with something. Then her expression quickly changed as she gave Elsa a serious look that made the blonde wary. "I need to talk to you about getting along with Ariel."

Elsa groaned and laid down with a flop. She sighed and looked up at Anna.

"Fine, but you're going to have to pull out that box of See's chocolates you bought. I could use a -"

"Dark Chocolate Scotch Mallow?" Anna asked.

"You know me too well," Elsa said, smiling.

 _Some things really never change,_ Anna thought as she pulled out the white and gold box.


End file.
